Skopje, 16 February 2023 (MIA) – As part of his visit to Slovenia, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi met Thursday with the whips of the parliamentary groups in the Slovenian Parliament, as well as with members of the Committee on EU Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Policy.

As part of his meetings with the parliamentary whips, Xhaferi met with the whip of the Freedom Movement group Borit Sajovic, the whip of the Slovenian Democratic Party Jelka Godec, the whip of the New Slovenia party Janez Cigler Kralj, and Nataša Sukič from the Left’s parliamentary group.

According to Parliament, the topic of discussion at the meeting was their role in the functioning of political parliamentary dialogue and the coordination of all activities in the decision-making process.

“After exchanging opinions over the current events in North Macedonia regarding the European affairs, the country’s NATO obligations, and future challenges, the whips expressed an interest in the current situation regarding illegal migration into the country, the outflow of young people into EU member states, overcoming certain administrative barriers related to the studies of Macedonian students in Slovenia, and the perception of the Macedonian citizens of the Slovenian aid during the wildfires,” Parliament said.

During the day, Xhaferi had the opportunity to exchange opinions over the current European and international events with the members of the Committee on EU Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Policy. He informed them about North Macedonia’s proactive role within NATO, as well as the progress of the screening process and the upcoming reforms related to the EU accession talks.

The President of the Committee on EU Affairs, Franc Breznik, welcomed the reform steps taken thus far and called for the adoption of the constitutional amendments necessary for the intergovernmental conference, offering the Committee’s expertise to colleagues in the Macedonian Parliament.

The President of the Committee on Foreign Policy, Predrag Baković, expressed his satisfaction with the fact that both countries have identical or similar positions on international issues that unite the free, democratic world. Furthermore, he used the opportunity to note that Slovenia’s international development aid until 2030, includes a significant segment for support and cooperation with North Macedonia, thereby clearly demonstrating the commitment to advancing the processes and accelerating the Euro-integration process.

The joint conclusion of the two delegations was to use the potential that exists to improve the cooperation at the parliamentary level and in the area of education, culture, tourism, construction, agriculture and the economy. At the same time, the delegations expressed mutual support for their candidacies in international organizations and the initiatives between the two countries. ad/sk/