The way the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Serbia has responded to numerous difficult challenges in the fight against organised crime, corruption and war crimes can serve as an example to the other countries in the region, Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General, stated at the meeting with the Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia, Zagorka Dolovac, who is on a several days’ long visit to Washington DC.

According to the statement of the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was concluded at the meeting that the co-operation between Serbia and the USA in the previous period had been extremely professional and that it had unfolded in the spirit of mutual support and trust.

The U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, has expressed his full support to the Republic Public Prosecutor of Serbia, stressing that Serbia is important to the USA, not just within the Balkans region but in a broader context as well, adding that the co-operation between the prosecutor’s offices of the USA and Serbia is a good example of successful direct co-operation.

Past experiences and challenges have been presented at the meeting with special reference to the instruments of the criminal law, which are relevant to increased efficiency of criminal prosecution, including prosecutorial investigation, which has already been in application in Serbia by the Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime and the Prosecutor’s Office for War Crimes whereas the prosecutor’s offices with general jurisdiction are going to start implementing it on 15 January 2013.

Furthermore, it has been agreed that continuous professionalisation and modernisation of the work lays the foundation for stronger independent institutions in Serbia.

At the end of the meeting a commitment to continued successful co-operation between the prosecutor’s offices of Serbia and the USA was expressed, as well as a conviction that further continuation of the co-operation would result in new successes in combating organised crime, corruption and other serious criminal offences for the purpose of protecting the constitutional order and the establishment of the rule of law.