Skopje, 11 July 2023 (MIA) – Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi met Tuesday with Meenakshi Lekhi, the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India, and MP of the lower house (Lok Sabha) of the Parliament of India, said the Parliament of North Macedonia in a press release.

“The bilateral relations between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of India are characterized by friendship, mutual understanding and readiness to promote cooperation, especially through the completion of the normative and legal framework, and the establishment of more intensive economic cooperation,” said Xhaferi, according to the press release.

Xhaferi assessed that the differences in the size and population of the two countries, as well as the geographical distance, should not represent an obstacle for mutual friendship, good bilateral and multilateral relations, and cooperation.

Xhaferi noted that, despite the strategic priorities of its foreign policy – activities within NATO and future EU membership, North Macedonia assigns great importance to intensifying its cooperation with the countries of Central and South Asia, with India as the main focus.

According to the press release, the Speaker stressed the need for closer cooperation between North Macedonia and India in the fields of economy, culture and tourism.

“The Speaker of Parliament touched upon the participation of Parliament employees in the training organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) of the Indian Parliament, and emphasized the interest in additional participation in the programs of the Institute,” said the press release.

State Minister Meenakshi Lekhi spoke about the opportunities to increase the bilateral trade exchange, stressing that there is a great underutilized potential for cooperation, especially in the fields of information technology, healthcare, financial services and education. In that context, she proposed the signing of an agreement on mobility and migration flows between India and North Macedonia, in the example of agreements that India has signed with numerous friendly countries.

The State Minister noted that India assigns great importance to interparliamentary cooperation, and said that opportunities should be assessed regarding long-term cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries.

The situation in the country and the Western Balkan region, with a focus on the Euro-Atlantic integrations, was also discussed at the meeting.

The Speaker and the State Minister expressed hope that the meeting will represent an incentive for the deepening of relations and cooperation between the two friendly countries and parliaments.

Photo: Parliament of North Macedonia