Tuesday, 21 December 2021
MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT XHAFERI AND MUSTAFA ŞENTOP
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, met today with the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Mustafa Şentop, who is on an official visit to the Republic of North Macedonia, together with a delegation of MPs.
The meeting was also attended by Goran Misovski, Vice President of the Assembly, Bejcan Iljas, Chairman of the Parliamentary Cooperation Group with the Parliament of the Republic of Turkey and its Members Nikola Micevski, Igor Janushev, Enes Ibrahim, Merita Kolçi-Koxhaxhiku, Zeqir Ramcilovic, Husni Ismaili, and the Secretary General of the Assembly, Cvetanka Ivanova.
The two Presidents of Parliaments expressed satisfaction with the reunion which coincides with the celebration of 21 December – the Day of Turkish Language Teaching and which is a confirmation that the bilateral relations between North Macedonia and Turkey take place in the spirit of mutual understanding, close friendship, partnership and active cooperation in numerous fields of mutual interest. Xhaferi and Şentop assessed that maintaining intensive communication at a high level strongly contributes to the improvement of the overall bilateral relations, while the good and friendly relations between the two countries are reflected in the fruitful parliamentary cooperation.
President Xhaferi referred to the successful cooperation between North Macedonia and Turkey in NATO, now as two equal members. He expressed satisfaction that the agreement between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey, with 100 bilateral agreements and documents covers all areas of common interest. Xhaferi stressed the interest in further enhancing economic cooperation and encouraging Turkish investments in the country and said that the cooperation between North Macedonia and Turkey in the field of defence, interior, culture, health, tourism, labor and social policy is very successful and characterized by positive trend and continuity.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, President Xhaferi expressed satisfaction that Turkey emphasizes the need for international cooperation and global solidarity, while expressing gratitude for the Turkish donations that have been of great benefit to the country in dealing with the pandemic.
The President of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Şentop, stressed that the Republic of Turkey supports the Republic of North Macedonia in all fields and expressed satisfaction that economic relations between the two countries are in an upward direction, with 46% increase in trade. He stressed that Turkey remains a strong supporter of the integration of the Republic of North Macedonia in the European Union and said that bilateral issues should not be an obstacle to membership in multilateral organizations. At the same time, Şentop expressed hope that the disagreements with Bulgaria would be resolved soon and that North Macedonia would start negotiations with the EU. President Şentop emphasized that the Turkish community in the Republic of North Macedonia is of great importance for the Republic of Turkey, which pays special attention to good education in the Turkish language in the country.
Presidents Xhaferi and Şentop exchanged information on the current situation in the two countries and expressed confidence that the long-term partnership and the positive trend in the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in several areas of mutual interest will continue to improve. At the same time, they pledged to further deepen the excellent relations and cooperation between the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey.