21 October 2021  Skopje – The National Bank is among the central banks that, despite the pandemic, are constantly improving their statistics. Statistics published by the National Bank adhere to the highest international standards met by only 26 countries in the world, said Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Statistics Department Louis Marc Ducharme at a meeting with a National Bank’s team led by Governor Anita Angelovska-Bezhoska as part of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF. Skopje – The World Bank expects the economic growth in North Macedonia to rebound to 4.6 percent in 2021, returning to the pre-pandemic output level by year end and inflation rate to reach 2.4 percent, it said on Thursday. Skopje – North Macedonia delivered results. This was also confirmed by the European Commission’s progress report, which praised our results in reforms, transparency, fight against corruption, institutional development. We have painstakingly provided all those results, with a lot of work and commitment, said Defence Minister Radmila Shekerinska who met with European External Action Service Secretary General, Stefano Sannino, in Brussels on Thursday. Skopje — Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski hosted a working meeting with a delegation of the European Union’s Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), led by its director Detlef Schröder. Public Security Bureau director Sasho Tasevski and the assistant minister and Training Center head Goce Bachanov also attended the meeting. Skopje – A landmark Net Zero Strategy setting out how the UK will secure 440,000 well-paid jobs and unlock £90 billion in investment in 2030 on its path to ending its contribution to climate change by 2050 has been unveiled by the UK government on Oct. 19. Skopje – President Stevo Pendarovski has received the letters of credentials of the new ambassadors of Spain and South Korea to North Macedonia on Thursday. Skopje – Thirty-five Afghan citizens, who were temporarily placed in North Macedonia, departed Thursday for Greece where they are provided permanent refuge, the Government said in a press release. Skopje – Greek Parliament Speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas, PACE President Rik Daems, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić opened on Thursday in Athens the two-day European Conference of Presidents of Parliament and expressed satisfaction that participants, which include North Macedonia’s Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi, are attending the event in person. Skopje – Deposits in September 2021 registered an 8.3% increase at annual level, while loans rose by 6.3%, North Macedonia’s National Bank said in a press release on Thursday. Skopje – Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi met with his Albanian counterpart, the new Speaker of Parliament, Lindita Nikolla during the conference of speakers of European national parliaments in Athens. Brussels – For North Macedonia it is time Bulgaria showed willingness for solution, Defence Minister Radmila Shekerinska said during her visit to Brussels where she has met with EU officials, MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports. Brussels – NATO defence ministers will be discussing Afghanistan and the lessons learned from the 20-year mission after the US withdrew its troops and the Taliban returned to power, Defence Minister Radmila Shekerinska stated on Thursday in Brussels, where she will be attending the North Atlantic Council meeting, the first one in-person since the country joined the Alliance. Strasbourg – Two days after the European Commission released the 2021 Enlargement package, the European Parliament discussed at a plenary session on Thursday the European Council and European Commission’s declaration on the conclusions of the EU-Western Balkans summit. During a two-hour debate, most MEPs expressed support for the European perspectives of the region and disappointment in the fact that the summit held in Brdo, Slovenia, failed to present it with a clear future, which, they stressed, would have encouraged implementation of reforms, MIA’s correspondent reports.