Wednesday, 18 November 2020
MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT XHAFERI AND THE ITALIAN AMBASSADOR SILVESTRI
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 Italian Republic to the Republic of North Macedonia, H.E. Andreas Silvestri.
President Xhaferi, wishing a warm welcome to Ambassador Silvestri, emphasized the exceptional cooperation with the previous ambassador and the Italian Embassy, expressing hope it will continue with even greater dynamics. The President reaffirmed the benefits of the excellent and friendly bilateral relations between the two countries, especially evident in the selfless Italian support of our Euro-Atlantic integration, the membership of the Republic of North Macedonia in NATO, Prime Minister Conte's support for the EU enlargement process with Western Balkan countries, especially with the Republic of North Macedonia. He stressed that the mutual support is visible and highly valued at the multilateral level, in international organizations and initiatives, as well as in terms of closer inter-parliamentary cooperation at the level of Parliamentary Cooperation Groups, which will continue as soon as health conditions related 
to the COVID-19 pandemic allow. President Xhaferi assessed the cooperation within NATO through the missions in Lebanon, Kosovo and SEEBRIG as exceptional, as well as within the NATO PA through our permanent delegations. He expressed hope for further cooperation in the field of the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia, especially in light of the December Summit of the Union.
At the same time, President Xhaferi informed the Ambassador about the current activities in the Assembly, as well as his initiative to consider possibilities for remote work of the Assembly – for MPs who due to health reasons are not able to physically attend the sessions.
Ambassador Silvestri thanked for the warm reception in the House of Democracy and stressed that the relations between Italy and the Republic of North Macedonia, in addition to being strong and friendly for decades and historically, reflect common historical, geographical and cultural identities. He pointed out the further support on the European path of the country, for which the government and the opposition in Italy have a consensus – that the real and deserved place of the Republic of North Macedonia is in the family of European nations and countries. He stated that the fruitful cooperation in the field of defence and in the joint NATO missions is especially highly appreciated, a cooperation that will continue to be enriched and maintained. The Ambassador agreed on the importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation and conveyed the interest of the Italian Parliament in continuing the activities started between the Cooperation Groups of the two parliaments and in initiating closer cooperation between the Foreign Policy Committees.
The interlocutors expressed assurances for further cooperation, mutual support at the multilateral level, strengthening of inter-parliamentary ties at several levels, and commitment for further development of economic cooperation was also noted.