Saturday, 22 May 2010, Rome
DELEGATION FROM THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA HEADED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, MR. TRAJKO VELJANOSKI, AT THE MANIFESTATION “MACEDONIA HONOURING ST. CYRIL” IN ROME
The Official Delegation from the Republic of Macedonia headed by the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski, at the manifestation “Macedonia Honouring St. Cyril” in the capitol of Italy, Rome, attended the Papal Audience.
At the Audience with Pope Benedict XVI the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Trajko Veljanoski expressed deep appreciation and gratitude for the reception, conveyed the greetings from the state authorities of the Republic of Macedonia. He underlined the importance of the pastoral mission of His Holiness and his selfless efforts for peace, solidarity and love among the nations, having in mind the temptations and challenges the world is faced with.
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI expressed hope for finding a solution for the name issue of the Republic of Macedonia and underlined that everyone has the right to use his own name. The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski, used the opportunity to once again invite Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Republic of Macedonia.
President Veljanoski also had a meeting with the Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and expressed appreciation for the consistent support of the Holy See to the Republic of Macedonia. President Veljanoski underlined that the Christ’s teaching, religion and Church, together with the language and literacy which the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius left to the Macedonian nation, are the fundamental values that have defined our national and cultural identity.
The official delegation lead by the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia includes the Coordinator of the PG of MVRO-DPMNE - Ms. Silvana Boneva, the Deputy Coordinator of the PG of DUI - Mr. Safet Neziri, the Deputy Coordinator of the PG of SDSM - Mr. Marjančo Nikolov, the Deputy Coordinator of the PG of NSDP, LP and NA - Mr. Goran Misovski, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs - Mr. Zoran Petrov, the Deputy Minister of Culture - Mr. Dragan Nedeljković, and the Director of the Committee on Relations among the Religious Communities and Groups in the Republic of Macedonia - Ms. Valentina Božinovska.
On 24 May the Delegation will attend the prayer near the Basilica di San Clemente in Rome.