Friday, 11 December 2009
MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, MR. TRAJKO VELJANOSKI, WITH THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF AUSTRALIA, MR. HARRY JENKINS, WHO IS IN AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
“It is indeed a great pleasure when a true friend visits the Republic of Macedonia, and you Mr. Jenkins, are a true friend of our country”, said at the beginning of the meeting the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski. “Although Macedonia and Australia are far away from each other, we have good bilateral relations, and the two parliaments should make their contribution to this aim. I am pleased with the fact that the House of Representatives of Australia has established the Macedonia Friendship Group. These relations should be developed further because a large number of the Macedonian Diaspora lives in Australia, and the signing of the social agreement during the visit of the Macedonian Prime Minister, Mr. Nikola Gruevski, was received very positively in Macedonia”, emphasized the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski. “Macedonia is committed to the Euro-Atlantic Integrations, and as you probably know, recently the visa regime with the EU member states for the Macedonian citizens was abolished. In my opinion, we should have this kind of agreement with Australia, having in mind the connections with our citizens living in Australia”, said Mr. Veljanoski.
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski also informed the distinguished guest about the amendments to the Electoral Code which give the opportunity for the Diaspora to have its representatives in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia - “In the next parliamentary composition we will have one MP from Australia”, said President Veljanoski. He also talked about the members of the Macedonian Army in the Peace Missions around the world - “We are not full member of NATO for absurd reasons, but we will continue to deploy members of the Army in these Missions, because we would like to fulfil our task in the preservation of world peace and stability. You know that the Macedonians are renowned for their persistence and diligence, and this is the reason why I believe that we will overcome every obstacle on our path towards full membership in NATO and the EU”, said the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski.
Expressing his appreciation for the invitation, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia, Mr. Harry Jenkins, said that he felt that he was among true friends from the moment he had arrived. He added that in his constituency there are over 11000 Macedonians, and that from them he has learned a lot about Macedonia and its history and the struggle of the Macedonian nation for independence. He pointed out that the Macedonians in Australia are loyal citizens to their second country, but are also completely loyal to Macedonia. Mr. Jenkins said that today, when the second and third generation of Macedonians lives in Australia, they are well established in the Australian society and contribute significantly for the overall development of Australia. Mr. Jenkins said that he is pleased that in the future there will be an MP from his country.
Regarding the commitment for EU and NATO Integration, Mr. Jenkins said that although Australia is not a major political power in our part of the world, it fully supports Macedonia. He said that it is ironic that although Macedonian soldiers participate in the peace missions, like now in Afghanistan - were Australian soldiers are also deployed, Macedonia is not a member of NATO, even though it has fulfilled the necessary criteria. “You demonstrate your responsibility and contribution for the preservation of world peace and security through the participation in this mission”, said the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia, Mr. Harry Jenkins. At the end of the discussion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia, Mr. Harry Jenkins officially invited the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia to visit Australia, which Mr. Veljanoski accepted with great pleasure.