Macedonian and Serbian police got Saturday a joint contact center for cooperation at Tabanovce border crossing.

The police cooperation center will allow police officers to share information and resolve possible disputes more effectively.

Inaugurating the center on Saturday, Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska and Serbia's PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic signed a protocol on police cooperation during the tourist season.

"It is expected the joint contact center to increase the countries' efficiency given the fact that this center is opened at the border crossing with the highest frequency of movement, which by itself opens numerous possibilities of misuse and problems during daily activities," said Minister Jankuloska.

Serbian PM and Interior Minister Dacic said the opening of the contact center and the cooperation protocol upheld the favorable cooperation recently established by the two ministries.

"Today we also signed a police cooperation protocol for the tourist season, which is of key importance for our citizens who spend their vacations in Macedonia," Dacic noted voicing his hopes that bilateral police cooperation would continue in the coming period.

The Serbian official said that both countries were dealing with similar issues. "These include illegal immigrants and false asylum seekers. At the same time, the countries are transit routes for illegal immigrants and many of them unfortunately remain in the country seeking asylum. Serbia all of the sudden has become a country with a rising number of asylum seekers," Dacic stated.

Jankuloska concluded that efforts were being made to solve these issues through joint coordinated actions.

She noted that recently the system of exchanging police officers during sports games and tourist seasons had improved the security situation in Macedonia and Serbia.

The Macedonian Minister also thanked the OSCE mission for its support and provision of equipment for the contact center.

Furthermore, PM Dacic welcomed the relations between the countries. "We will continue holding sessions of the two governments and determining what is disputable. I believe we need to take into account our interests and defend them when it comes to our joint projects, including EU membership," Dacic stated.