Thursday, 18 February 2021
MEETING OF PRESIDENT XHAFERI WITH KYUCHYUK
The President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, met with the Rapporteur for the Republic of North Macedonia in the European Parliament, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, who is on a two-day working visit to the country.
President Xhaferi expressed gratitude for the engagement of the Rapporteur Kyuchyuk in drafting the Resolution for the progress of the country in 2019 and 2020, with the hope that the final document which should be voted at the beginning of March, will contain objective assessments of the situation in the country, will note the progress and will clearly call for beginning of membership negotiations. He underlined that the Republic of North Macedonia is a positive example for regional cooperation and that the country remains committed to the Good Neighborhood Agreement with Bulgaria in 2017, as a good foundation to overcome the differences, restoring trust and opening the doors for beginning of the accession process.
Regarding the Jean Monnet Dialogue Amending the Rules of Procedures of the Assembly, Xhaferi informed that due to the pandemic, the process would continue in the Assembly with participation of all political groups in the working groups that would lead the process, and the MEPs would be periodically collegially informed on the progress of the process, until conditions are created for resumption with physical presence of all participants in this dialogue. He also informed that the constructive inter-parliamentary dialogue within the Joint Parliamentary Committee EU and Republic of North Macedonia continues and that the next remote meeting is foreseen to take place at the end of March.
The Rapporteur Kyuchyuk underlined that the Resolution for the Republic of North Macedonia will primarily be reviewed in the Foreign Affairs Committee, and then in the Plenary Session in the European Parliament. He noted that the text will provide a real reflection of the situation and a strong message that the European Union does not forget the country and remains a committed partner for realizing our aspirations for a full membership. Regarding the relations with Bulgaria, he expressed hope that after the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, the contacts will intensify and emphasized the cooperation between the news agencies MIA and BTA as a good example of cooperation, noting that there are opportunities for mutual projects and cooperation between the universities of both countries and in many other fields. In terms of the Jean Monnet Dialogue, the Rapporteur Kyuchyuk expressed willingness for holding video-meeting with the purpose of sharing information on the progress of the process in the Assembly. At the end, he expressed hope that as soon as the circumstances allow so, he will meet with President Xhaferi in the European Parliament.