First meeting of the «Friends of the Regional Forum»

At the SEECP ministerial meeting 5 April 2004 in Herceg Novi, Montenegro the ministers decided to transfer MARRI to regional ownership and to establish a professional and political Regional Forum for the five SAp countries and to establish an administrative/supportive structure for the Forum, the MARRI Regional Center in Skopje (for further information see attached Joint Statement from the Ministerial Meeting 5 April, the Summary Report from the Expert Meeting the 6 April and ‘MARRI – The Way Ahead 2004 – 2005’).

At the Ministerial meeting it was also decided that the Regional Forum would uphold the link to European and Transatlantic cooperation institutions and seek the support and advice of the International Community through the ‘Friends of the Regional Forum’. Referring to this decision I have the pleasure of inviting you to the first meeting of the Friends of the Regional Forum.

The meeting will be held in Vienna on the 27 May 2004 in the Hofburg Conference Center, Bibliotheksaal, OSCE, Heldenplatz, starting at 11.00 am and ending at 4.00 pm.

Draft preliminary agenda:

1. Report from the SEECP ministerial and expert meeting 5-6 April 2004
2. Transfer of MARRI to Skopje and Terms of Reference for the Regional Center
3. The role of the Friends of the Regional Forum; MARRI-The Way ahead
4. MARRI initiatives i.a. Access to Rights (ATR) and Regional Information Exchange (RIE)

For further information please contact anders.westerberg@stabilitypact.at