Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska addressed Friday the Belgrade ministerial meeting of Council of Ministers of Culture of Southeast Europe (CoMoCoSEE), focusing on audiovisual heritage and funding of micro-budget films.

Kanceska-Milevska stressed the meeting would enable an exchange of constructive ideas for solution of issues important for all member-states, ones that would contribute to progress in the audiovisual sphere.

"CoMoCoSEE is developing into a powerful forum of cooperation and understanding, place for new initiatives, opinion exchange. Conclusions delivered from prior CoMoCoSEE meetings have enriched the cultural landscape of Southeast Europe, introducing a new integrated approach in the protection of cultural heritage of our continent", said Minister Kanceska-Milevska.

She added Macedonia's audiovisual art has developed through its ideas, in parallel with the most contemporary audiovisual projects of highly developed countries, whereas the Government has dedicated much attention and invested a lot towards the enhancement and development of this field.

The meeting brings together ministers of culture and other representatives from CoMoCoSEE members Croatia, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Moldova, as well as officials from the Council of Europe, EU and UNESCO.

At the conference sidelines, Minister Kanceska-Milevska met with Serbian Minister of Culture, Media and Information Society Predrag Markovic.

Interlocutors signed a programme for bilateral cooperation in the areas of culture and art for period 2012-2014, but also focused on the excellent cultural relations between the two countries.

Kanceska-Milevska said the Macedonian Culture Ministry is committed towards enhancing bilateral cooperation with the Serbian counterpart institution by supporting initiatives of Serbian associations and communities in all fields of culture, as well as reproductive artists from Macedonia who show interest to present themselves in Serbia.

Minister Kanceska-Milevska is scheduled to meet with Slovenia's Minister for Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Ziga Turk later in the day.