Tuesday, 10 November 2020
MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT XHAFERI AND FRENCH AMBASSADOR BAUMGARTNER
Today, the President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, received in his first official visit, the newly appointed Ambassador of the French Republic to the Republic of North Macedonia, H.E. Cyrille Baumgartner.
President Xhaferi, welcoming Ambassador Baumgartner, emphasized the cooperation with the previous ambassador and the French Embassy, and expressed hope that it will continue in the future with even greater dynamics. The President gave a brief overview of the cooperation between the two parliaments, with emphasis on last year's meetings of parliamentarians from both parliaments, noting that return visits are expected as soon as the Group for Cooperation with the French Parliament is established and when health conditions allow. He informed the Ambassador about the newly established Section and Delegation of the Assembly in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, which will continue to give their recognised contribution to the further promotion of the Francophone values.
At the same time, the President informed the Ambassador about the current developments with regard to the country's European perspective, the expectations from the announced meetings of the highest European institutions, as well as the support of France and other member states for the efforts to start the intergovernmental conference with our country at the end of this year.
Ambassador Baumgartner reaffirmed the French Republic's support to our country's European perspective and especially commended the high professionalism in the work of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, something that is highly appreciated. He expressed the expectation that the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, including parliamentary cooperation, will gain momentum and intensity, emphasising the possibility of enriching the traditional topics of discussion, with a focus on regional cooperation and global challenges. Regarding the European integration process, Ambassador Baumgartner stressed that the negotiating framework will actually reflect the new methodology of the European Union, forwarding a renewed momentum in relations with candidate countries and the mobilisation of all domestic institutional capacities.
The interlocutors expressed assurances of further mutual support at the multilateral level, especially in the work of the international parliamentary assemblies through the permanent delegations. Commitment for further development of the economic cooperation, cooperation in education, culture, deepening of the inter-parliamentary cooperation and sharing common experiences from the foreign policy and the parliamentary diplomacy were also stated.