Monday, 27 February 2012
PRESIDENT VELJANOSKI IN AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO AUSTRALIA
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Trajko Veljanoski begins today his official visit to Australia. President Veljanoski is heading the Delegation that includes the MPs: Mr. Ilija Dimovski - Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia for Cooperation with the Parliament of Australia, the members of the Parliamentary Group Mr. Xhevad Ademi, Ms. Cvetanka Ivanova, and Mr. Milorad Dodevski - Member of Parliament representing the Macedonian Diaspora in Australia.
Mr. Veljanoski met with Mr. Stevan Kozmevski - Mayor of Whittlesea, a town with a community of over 11.000 Macedonians. Mr. Veljanoski pointed out that the Macedonian community in Victoria acts as a bridge between the Republic of Macedonia and Australia. He said that the politicians on local level have the task to strengthen the relations with other towns, and in that way intensify the relations with other countries.
Main topic during the meeting with the President of the Legislative Council of Victoria Bruce Atkinson and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Victoria Ken Smith was the establishment of the group for cooperation between the Parliament of Victoria and the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia. Both sides agreed that the friendship groups could be the foundation for strengthening of the relations on parliamentary level and intensification of the cooperation in the field of economy, which at the moment is not satisfactory, primarily because of the distance between the two countries. Mr. Veljanoski emphasized the excellent political relations, confirmed with the high level bilateral visits in the last several years.
The speakers of the Parliament of Victoria said that the Macedonian community in Victoria is loyal and that it gives a significant contribution to the development of the economic and social life.
In the afternoon, President Veljanoski will meet representatives of the Macedonian Community in Australia, and tomorrow he will have a meeting with the members of the Parliament of Victoria who initiated the establishment of the Group for Cooperation with the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.
The Macedonian Delegation will also visit the capital of Australia, Canberra, where they will meet with representatives of the Federal Government.