Monday, 26 March 2018
Meeting of the President Xhaferi and the President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria
In the framework of the 138th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), held in Geneva, Swiss Confederation, from 24 - 28 March 2018, the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Talat Xhaferi, held separate meetings with the President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Mr. Ismail Kahraman and the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Cveta Karajanceva.
The meetings were held with the purpose of exchanging views on the future of the Parliamentary Assembly of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP PA).
The President of the Assembly, Mr. Xhaferi presented the interlocutors the conveyed the proposal of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia for overcoming the long standstill in finding a solution for the seat of the Secretariat of the SEECP PA, candidates for which are the Turkish and Bulgarian Parliaments. The proposal was initially presented at the Session of the Standing Committee, held on 16-17 March in Bled, Slovenia and received a positive reception from the MPs of the participating countries in SEECP.
Underlining that both states undoubtedly have strong arguments in their proposal on the seat of the Secretariat, Mr. Xhaferi assessed that as long as it is decided by consensus and both sides stand firmly on their proposals, it is impossible to reach a solution. Therefore, the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia proposed to consider the rotation of the seat of the Secretariat and the appointment of the Secretary General of the SEECP PA for a five-year term, that is, while the seat of the Secretariat is in one of the two candidate countries, the Secretary General shall be a representative of another country and vice-versa.
The President of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Ismail Kahraman, and the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Cveta Karajanceva, expressed their gratitude on the proposal and assessed it as a positive step towards reaching an ultimate solution of the issue that is discussed by the SEECP PA for years. It was agreed that the discussions on this proposal will continue with greater dynamics in the upcoming period.
The interlocutors agreed that it is necessary to establish the Secretariat of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly as soon as possible, resulting in a wider political influence and visibility of the SEECP, strengthening the cooperation among the Parliaments that participate in the Process, as well as the cooperation with other Inter-Parliamentary Assemblies.
The meetings referred to the views on the bilateral relations and the Parliamentary cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey.