Thursday, 21 September 2017
Meeting of the President Xhaferi and the Delegation from the Committee on International Relations of the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Talat Xhaferi had a Meeting with the Delegation from the Committee on International Relations of the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Lord Grocott and Baroness Coussins, in organization of the Embassy of the United Kingdom.
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Talat Xhaferi expressed appreciation for the strong and open support of the United Kingdom towards the Republic of Macedonia in regard with the necessary reforms on the path to the integration in the Euro – Atlantic structures, and underlined that aside from Brexit, the Republic of Macedonia will continue to welcome the British experience for the Membership in the European Union, which will assist the achievement of the strategic aim – full – fledged membership in the European Union.
The President Xhaferi informed the guests on the ratification of the second Memorandum of Understanding with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy on 15 September, at the International Day of Democracy, which confirms the excellent cooperation which was cherished in the past 25 years, which is another confirmation of the preparedness for gaining and implementing the good practices following the example of the British Parliament, the cradle of the world parliamentary democracy.
The reply of Mr. Xhaferi to the question on the challenges he faced with when assuming the position President of the Assembly, was that they include promotion of the democratic processes, strengthening of the institutions, promotion of the oversight role of the Parliament, transparency of the Assembly, and consequently, the need for amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.
Lord Groccot and Baroness Coussins expressed appreciation from the meeting and the welcome in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, in the house of democracy and of the citizens, since the Parliament is the pillar of the democracy. The position of a Speaker of the Parliament is the most important and most demanding, especially in periods of transition of governance, and the fact that the view of the public and evaluation has improved, additionally encourages the current President of the Assembly.
The interlocutors exchanged opinions on the future challenges of the new parliamentary composition, the role of the Assembly as corrector of the executive governance and the needed reforms according to 3 – 6- 9 Plan of the Government for faster integration of the Republic of Macedonia in the Euro – Atlantic structures, as well as on the maintenance of the good neighbourly relations which is the imperative for the regional stability.