Monday, October 14, 2019
MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT XHAFERI AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA, DEJAN ŽIDAN
In the framework of the 141. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, held in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia, the President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, met with the Speaker of the of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Dejan Židan.
The presidents of the parliaments of North Macedonia and Slovenia agreed that this meeting was yet another confirmation of the excellent bilateral relations between the two states, which have been continuously friendly with no open issues, and were based on traditional friendship, strong strategic partnership, long-term constructive cooperation and support, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
President Xhaferi expressed satisfaction that the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries is constantly improving and intensifying, as evidenced by the numerous visits of MPs and staff representatives of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. He also referred to the positive trend in the bilateral relations between the two countries, with numerous high-level meetings and the intensification of the political dialogue. The President of the Assembly expressed gratitude that the Republic of Slovenia has been continuously and actively supporting the Republic of North Macedonia in achieving its strategic goals - NATO and EU membership, as well as for the rapid ratification of our country's Accession Protocol to NATO by the Slovenian Parliament.
The Speaker of the Slovenian Parliament, Židan, expressed satisfaction with the meeting on the sidelines of IPU and noted that there was a long tradition of friendly relations between the two countries, at bilateral and multilateral level. He referred to the strengthening of economic cooperation and the foreign investments in the country and the region, as a tool for cooperation and support of our country on its path to NATO and the EU.
Xhaferi and Židan also referred to the Berlin process, currently co-chaired by the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, as a strong impetus for the EU prospects of the Western Balkan countries.
They also discussed bilateral cooperation between North Macedonia and Slovenia, and recognized that there was great potential for intensifying the excellent cooperation in many areas, especially in the economy, agriculture, energy, industry, education and culture. The interlocutors voiced hope that the cooperation between the MPs of the two countries would further deepen, both bilaterally and multilaterally, within the international parliamentary assemblies.