THREE LEGAL COOPERATION AGREEMENTS SOON TO BE SIGNED WITH TURKEY

Serbia and Turkey are soon to sign three important agreements on legal cooperation in civil and criminal matters, further strengthening cooperation between the two countries, said the Minister for Justice and Public Administration Nikola Selaković after the meeting with the Turkish Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin in Ankara.

According to Minister Seleković, todayʼs meeting with the Turkish Justice Minister, where experiences in the field of judicial reforms were also exchanged, was a great step forward in enhancing cooperation between the two countries. He added that there was an upward movement in Serbian-Turkish relations.

‘If our teams continue to work with dedication and commitment, we should sign three agreements on legal cooperation in April: an agreement on legal aid in civil matters, an extradition agreement and an agreement on recognition of court decisions in criminal matters,’ said Minister Selaković.

Turkish Justice Minister pointed out that cooperation between Turkey and Serbia had improved in recent years, especially concerning economic and political relations, and that the aim was to strengthen the cooperation further through high-level visits. He said that the technical teams of both ministries were working on cooperation agreements that would open a road to more intensive cooperation and communication between the two countries, adding that experiences in judicial reform were also exchanged during the meeting.

Minister Selaković took the opportunity to express his hope that the Serbian and Turkish governments would hold a joint session by autumn, and added that even if the agreements are not signed in April, they will definitely be signed by the end of autumn.

Earlier today Minister Selaković had a meeting with the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Cemil Çiçek. He then visited the Constitutional Court and the Cassation Court of Turkey, where he met with the presidents of these courts Hashim Kilic and Ali Alkan, president of Supreme Court and later on, with the Chief Public Prosecutor Hassan Erbìl.

After the meetings, Selaković commented that it was concluded that the cooperation between Serbia and Turkey, especially in the justice sector, was on an upward trend.

Minister Selaković also visited the Turkish High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council today. A meeting with Hüsseyin Karakullukçu of the Turkish Council of State (Supreme Administrative Court) is scheduled for tomorrow, 6 March.