Skopje, 20 September 2023 (MIA) - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and North Macedonia so far maintained good and friendly relations, but it is necessary to intensify and strengthen the mutual political communication on all levels, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi and Saudi Justice Minister Walid al-Samaani said during their meeting on Wednesday.

Xhaferi noted that such visits by high-ranking officials of Saudi Arabia will be an incentive to further strengthen cooperation at multiple levels, especially economic, the Parliament said in a press release.

He also underscored the need to intensify parliamentary cooperation and praised the initiatives accepted so far by Saudi Arabia for signing more bilateral agreements in various fields.

“Parliament Speaker emphasized our strategic aspiration to join the NATO, which we achieved, and a full member of the European Union, in which direction we are still working. He condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and voiced hope that military actions will end as soon as possible,” reads the press release.

Vice President of the Parliament Husni Ismaili, who is chairperson of the Parliamentary Group for Cooperation with the Parliaments of the countries of the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf, also attended the meeting and welcomed the guests saying that this meeting will be an incentive to intensify cooperation.

Saudi Justice Minister Walid al-Samaani voiced his gratitude for the reception and conveyed the greetings of the top officials from his country, underscoring the importance of boosting the future cooperation between the two countries.

Al-Samaani expressed confidence that by signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the two Ministries of Justice, good basis will be created for future institutional cooperation and bringing regulations into force in several areas of mutual interest to both parties.

They all committed to make a personal contribution to strengthening future cooperation at all levels, reads the press release.

Photo: Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia