COOPERATION BETWEEN CONSTITUTIONAL COURTS OF SERBIA AND REPUBLIKA SRPSKA FORMALLY LAUNCHED IN SREMSKI KARLOVCI

BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 14 /SRNA/ - The first joint session of the Constitutional Court of Serbia and the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska was held today in Sremski Karlovci to mark Serbian Unity, Freedom and National Flag Day, and a Memorandum of Understanding and Bilateral Cooperation was signed.

The Memorandum, signed by the presidents of the two courts, Vladan Petrov and Džerard Selman, envisages enhancing cooperation through the exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of constitutional justice, as well as professional and scientific information and publications, and organizing joint training sessions, conferences and seminars, along with mutual visits by judges. Particular emphasis was placed on mutual support in improving and protecting the independence and integrity of constitutional justice, as well as on exchanging experience in the use of modern information and communication technologies. Selman said that the signing of the Memorandum marked a new chapter in the history of cooperation, stressing that the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska has so far not had this level of cooperation with any constitutional court in the region. "We are continuing the cooperation while fully respecting the Dayton Peace Agreement, the Constitution of BiH, the Agreement on Special and Parallel Relations between Serbia and Republika Srpska, as well as agreements between the competent ministries of justice," Selman said. Petrov described the event as historic and noted that, for the first time in its history, the Constitutional Court of Serbia is holding a session outside its headquarters in Belgrade. He said there is a legal basis for cooperation between the two courts in the Agreement on Special and Parallel Relations between Serbia and Republika Srpska, and announced the possibility of further institutionalizing it by establishing a constitutional court forum, modelled on the parliamentary forum of the assemblies of Serbia and Republika Srpska. Petrov said the joint session was being held ahead of Serbian Unity, Freedom and National Flag Day, stressing that constitutional courts, as institutional guardians of the constitutional order, should remind people of the values of peace, freedom, equality for all without discrimination, and unity regardless of differences, RTV reports. He expressed confidence that cooperation between the two constitutional courts would become regular and traditional, and that it would result in joint statements and declarations promoting and strengthening peace, freedom and unity through law and dialogue.