Wednesday, 29 February 2012, Australia
PRESIDENT VELJANOSKI AND THE MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION FROM THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA MET WITH THE SPEAKERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski, and the members of the Delegation of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia composed of the Members of Parliament, Mr. Ilija Dimovski, Mr. Milorad Dodevski, Ms. Cvetanka Ivanova, and Mr. Xhevat Ademi, met with the Hon. Peter Slipper - Speaker of the House of Representatives, and with the Hon. John Hogg - President of the Senate.
President Veljanoski expressed appreciation to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for abolishment of the term "Slav-Macedonian", adding that it is a great step forward in the relations between the two countries.
President Veljanoski raised the issues of facilitation of the visa regime for the Macedonian citizens and opening of Australian embassy in the Republic of Macedonia, which would contribute to further strengthening of the cooperation between the two countries. He also spoke about the possibilities for increased cooperation on parliamentary level.
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia emphasized the participation of Macedonian soldiers in Afghanistan, and the fact that despite the progress made in the field of defence and the contribution of Macedonia in the NATO led peace missions and in the Coalition Against Terrorism, the country is still not a member of NATO because of one well-known reason.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Peter Slipper, expressed gratitude to the 100,000 Macedonians living in Australia for their contribution to the social and economic life in Australia. They also discussed the possibilities for further development of the economic cooperation between the two countries.
The President of the Senate, the Hon. John Hogg, agreed that there are possibilities for intensification of the parliamentary cooperation, especially in the field of ICT.
The speakers of the Australian Parliament accepted with pleasure the invitation from President Veljanoski to visit the Republic of Macedonia.