Wednesday, 22 December 2010, Jerusalem
MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA WITH HIS COUNTERPART, THE SPEAKER OF THE ISRAELI KNESSET MR. REUVEN RIVLIN
The President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Trajko Veljanoski met with his colleague, the Speaker of the Knesset Mr. Reuven Rivlin. This is the first official visit of a President of the Macedonian Assembly to the State of Israel. The hosts organized an official welcoming ceremony in honour of President Veljanoski with fanfares, raising of the flags of the two countries, playing of the national anthems, and inspection of the Guard of Honour. President Veljanoski also laid a wreath at the Gal-Ed memorial for the Israel’s fallen soldiers.
The Delegation from the Assembly, headed by President Veljanoski and composed of Mr. Pavle Trajanov – Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Cooperation with the Parliament of the State of Israel, Ms. Slavica Grkovska and Mr. Xhevat Ademi – Members of the Parliamentary Group, attended the plenary session of the Knesset during which they were greeted by Mr. Rivlin.
The Speaker of the Knesset expressed gratitude to the Macedonian Government, especially to Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, for the efforts in the construction of the Holocaust Memorial Center in Skopje.
At the meeting Mr. Rivlin also said that one of the biggest challenges for multiethnic societies, such as Macedonia and Israel where the majority of citizens are from two ethnic communities, is the creation of a common national experience, not formally but in the true sense of the word. Despite the cultural, linguistic and traditional differences, this “experience” can secure a platform for the creation of common democratic values. In countries like ours the practicing of the democratic principles is a constant test. It’s a test where parliamentary democracy has an important role in the defending the rights of 
the minorities, but also of the majority. Only a few countries have to face this “test of democracy”, and even fewer have managed to pass it, like the Republic of Macedonia and the State of Israel, emphasized the Speaker of the Knesset.
The two Presidents of Parliaments agreed that the cooperation between the two Parliaments should be intensified on the level of committees and friendship groups. President Veljanoski extended an invitation to his colleague to visit the Republic of Macedonia and to attend the opening of the Holocaust Memorial Center in Skopje, expected to take place in March 2011.
The Delegation form the Assembly headed by President Veljanoski also had a meeting with the Israel-Macedonia Parliamentary Friendship Association chaired by Knesset Member Mrs. Lia Shemtov.