Wednesday, 14th October 2009
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Trajko Veljanoski had a meeting with the President of the Republic of Estonia Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Trajko Veljanoski received the President of the Republic of Estonia Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves. At the meeting the President of the Assembly especially underlined the cooperation between the two friendly countries. He pointed out that the Parliamentary Group for Cooperation with the parliament of the Republic of Estonia of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia has already established regular cooperation with their colleagues from the Estonian Parliament.
Regarding the Euro-integration processes, the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Trajko Veljanoski said that, after the EC Progress Report, he expects the Council of the European Union to determine a date for the opening of the accession negotiations: “I would like to emphasize that during these processes, the bilateral issues cannot be criteria or an obstacle. Today these integration processes cannot be terminated by anyone, but they can be slowed down, which is not good for us, for the Region nor for the EU in general. That is why I expect that, as was the case so far, the Republic of Estonia will strongly support the Republic of Macedonia, and that at the same time, during these processes and negotiations, the cooperation between the two Parliaments will be intensified, having in mind the fact that your experience is valuable for the Republic of Macedonia.
The President of the Republic of Estonia Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, welcoming the progress and the reforms in the Republic of Macedonia in the Euro-integration process, said that regardless of the geographic distance, the two countries have developed good relations, since they share the same principles and values. “This is why I hope that the Republic of Macedonia will take the place in NATO it deserves, because that is in the interest of the Republic of Macedonia, the Region, and Europe. You have fulfilled the criteria and the benchmarks, and that is why you should receive a date for opening of the negotiations. From our experience, I would like to point out that the negotiations are not easy, but at the same time I would like to tell you that you will have our support in the future” - said the President of the Republic of Estonia Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves.