Monday, 14 October 2019
MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT XHAFERI AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE IRANIAN PARLIAMENT ALI ARDASHIR LARIJANI
In the framework of the 141. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, held from 13-17 October 2019 in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia, a meeting was held between Talat Xhaferi, President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia and Ali Ardashir Larijani, President of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, at the request of Mr. Larijani.
Presidents Xhaferi and Larijani expressed their satisfaction at the holding of the first bilateral meeting between the Presidents of the Parliaments of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the framework of this important multilateral forum.
President Talat Xhaferi pointed out that economic relations between North Macedonia and Iran were far below opportunities for real economic cooperation, even though preconditions for its diversification were created. He emphasized that the contractual situation was solid, with eight agreements and treaties concluded, but further efforts were needed to overcome the obstacles to economic cooperation. At the same time, Xhaferi indicated that there was room for improvement of the cooperation between the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Islamic Parliament of Iran, as well as the cultural cooperation between the two countries, in accordance with the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation.
The President of the Assembly, Xhaferi briefed on the current state of affairs regarding the Euro-Atlantic integration of North Macedonia, that is, the expectations for obtaining a date for the start of accession negotiations with the European Union and for the integration to NATO, as the thirtieth member state of the Alliance.
The president of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani stressed the importance of starting a more intensive dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of North Macedonia, especially in the field of economic cooperation. In order to boost economic relations and expand cooperation between the two countries in the fields of industry, agriculture and mining, according to Larijani, it is necessary to resolve banking issues first. The next step would be to expand cooperation between chambers of commerce. He assessed that visa liberalization between Iran and North Macedonia should not be limited to holders of diplomatic and official passports, but should be extended to all citizens. The President of the Iranian Parliament indicated that he would instruct the Iranian Minister of Culture to monitor the state of implementation of the Cultural Cooperation Agreement. Larijani also expressed interest in the progress that the Republic of North Macedonia has made in resolving open issues with its neighbours.
At the end of the meeting, the importance of parliamentary diplomacy was emphasized in the promotion of bilateral and multilateral relations, political dialogue and the intensification of the overall cooperation between the countries.