Tuesday, 22 September 2020
MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT XHAFERI AND MAJLINDA BREGU
Today, the President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi received Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council. On this occasion, President Xhaferi expressed satisfaction to meet Ms. Bregu again, when regional cooperation is intensified and deepened, especially at a time of pandemic when most international meetings are held virtually. He stated that the Republic of North Macedonia attaches great attention to regional cooperation, as a key component for the European integration of the region, and has, in continuity actively participated in the work of the regional organisations and initiatives, including the meetings of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP). He expressed satisfaction that at the Plenary Session of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly under the Kosovo Presidency, the participating countries managed to adopt a final resolution consensually and expressed hope that next year, when the process is chaired by the Republic of Turkey, this positive trend will continue.
Secretary General Bregu congratulated President Xhaferi on his re-election, welcomed the formation of the Government and functioning of the Assembly. She emphasized that she has always had fruitful and constructive high level talks during her visits to the Republic of North Macedonia, and always feels welcome.
Regarding the multi-annual framework for regional and economic cooperation MAP REA-2, Ms. Bregu noted that this framework which derives from the Berlin Process and is currently co-chaired by the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria, foresees the improvement of the digital infrastructure and connectivity of the countries of the region, free flow of trade and capital, support for innovations and entrepreneurship, as well as investment in activities for keeping and attracting talents to countries of the region. She pointed out the co-chairmanship between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria as an excellent opportunity to consolidate and promote good neighbourly relations between the two countries. Since, although the Regional Cooperation Council works intensively to develop regional cooperation in several areas, still, due to unresolved political issues in the region, as well as prejudices from the past, they face difficulties in the implementation of activities.
President Xhaferi informed Ms. Bregu about the ongoing activities of the Assembly, such as the formation of the multilateral cooperation delegations and bilateral cooperation groups, as well as the remaining step, the appointment of Deputy Ministers of the Government.
At the end of the meeting, the interlocutors underscored the parliamentary dimension in all processes of regional association between the countries and concluded that all developments in the region should be closely monitored and that constant action is needed to jointly resolve all outstanding issues between the countries in the region, all in order to improve the living standards of all citizens._