Tuesday, 21 December 2010, Jerusalem
MEETING OF THE DELEGATION OF ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA HEADED BY THE PRESIDENT VELJANOSKI WITH THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL MR. AVIGDOR LIBERMAN
A delegation of Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia headed by the President of the Assembly Mr. Trajko Veljanoski is in an official visit to the State of Israel. The Delegation, composed of Mr. Pavle Trajanov – Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Cooperation with the Parliament of the State of Israel, Ms. Slavica Grkovska and Mr. Xhevat Ademi – Members of the Parliamentary Group, yesterday had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Israel Mr. Avigdor Liberman.
At the beginning of the meeting Mr. Liberman assured the guests that Israel supports the Republic of Macedonia in its aspirations for membership in the European Union and NATO. He said that the Republic of Macedonia is a unique example of tolerance and dialogue among the different communities and religions. Mr. Liberman also expressed satisfaction from the progress in the building of the Holocaust
Memorial Center n Skopje, as well as from the level of integration of the Jewish community in the Republic of Macedonia.
President Veljanoski said that when the Republic of Macedonia will become a member of NATO and the European Union the State of Israel will have a true friend among the member countries. He also pointed out that the Republic of Macedonia is one of the few countries in the world that has resolved the issue concerning the property of the Jewish community and its members – victims of the Holocaust. The Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Jewish community are working together on the building of the Holocaust Memorial Center n Skopje that should be opened in March 2011.
Both sides concluded that the political relations among the two countries are excellent and that they should work on intensification of the relations in the field of economy. In order to achieve this, the meetings at the higher level including the business communities could contribute to the improvement of the economic relations.
Before the meeting with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Macedonian parliamentary delegation visited the Jad Vashem Martyrs' and Heroes' Memorial of the Holocaust where the President of the Assembly Mr. Veljanoski laid a wreath at the Hall of Remembrance.