Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Meeting of the President Veljanoski with the President of the Parliament of the Federation of Wallonie-Bruxelles, Mr. Jean-Charles Luperto
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trajko Veljanoski had a meeting with the President of the Parliament of the Federation of Wallonie- Bruxelles, Mr. Jean-Charles Luperto, who was accompanied by the Mayor of the Municipality of Kriva Palanka, Mr. Arsencho Aleksov, and the Deputy-Mayor of Sambreville, Mr. Nikola Dumont.
The President Veljanoski expressed his pleasure for the visit of the President of the Parliament of the Federation of Wallonie-Bruxelles, Mr. Jean-Charles Luperto, who at the same time holds the position of Mayor of the city of Sambreville, Belgium, and thanked him for the continued support which the Republic of Macedonia receives from the francophone part of Belgium - Wallonie.
The meeting also referred to the bilateral cooperation in many areas, including cultural exchange between municipalities, joint visits on the regional level, and initiatives for enhancing cooperation on the Parliamentary level.
In relation to the differences in the systems of the two states, the President Veljanoski underlined that in the Republic of Macedonia legal norms envisage an incompatibility of the position Member of Parliament with the position of Mayor or any other profession, unlike Belgium where the holding of two positions at the same time is allowed.
During the meeting, the President Veljanoski informed his guests on the political circumstances in the Republic of Macedonia, the reforms, the imposed obstacles in Euro-Atlantic integration of the state, the measures towards economic strengthening, as well as the challenges arisen from economic crisis that the state was faced with. He referred to the difficulties certain countries within the European Union are dealing with.
On his behalf, Mr. Jean-Charles Luperto expressed his appreciation to President Veljanoski for the meeting, pointing out that it is a true pleasure for him to visit the Republic of Macedonia during his first visit of the Balkans. He highlighted the support that Wallonie gives to the Republic of Macedonia, especially through the common membership of the International Organization of the Francophonie, where in addition to sharing their common French language; member states advocate the respect of universal democratic values as a pillar for every democratic state.
The President Veljanoski expressed his belief that this meeting will provide an impetus for the cooperation between the two parliaments in the context of exchanging experiences and practices that will benefit the Parliaments as well as the citizens of the two states.