Saturday, 11 December 2010, Istanbul
THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION OF THE BALKAN STATES IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE PEACE AND STABILITY OF THE WESTERN BALKANS
The Chair of the Foreign Policy Committee from the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia and the Members of the Committee, Ms. Flora Kadriu, Mr. Vasko Shutarov, Mr. Nazif Bushi, during the official visit of the Republic of Turkey, were welcomed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Government, Mr. Ahmet Davutoglu.
The Chair of the Committee, Ms. Teuta Arifi expressed appreciation and pleasure for the continuous support from the Republic of Turkey for the accomplishment of the democratic processes and reforms in the state and the position of Turkey using our constitutional. Ms. Arifi, inter alia, informed the Minister on the present conditions in the sate, the realization of the strategic goals, membership in NATO and EU, the name issue and the reality the Macedonian society is facing with.
Mr. Davutogly, underlining that Turkey is paying particular attention on the conditions in our state, emphasised the firm friendship of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Macedonia, the constant and unchanged position of Turkey fully supporting the democratic processes in our state, the right for using the constitutional name and the need for intensification of the cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.
The discussion also included exchange of opinions for the present situation on the Balkan and the need of its Euro-Atlantic integration as a guarantee for the peace and stability of the Western Balkan. The participants agreed that the prosperity of the Balkans is possible only through mutual respect, cooperation and building of good neighbourly relations. In this framework, the Minister Davutogly underlined that the stability of the Western Balkan depends on the stability in the Republic of Macedonia, considering its geographic location in the region and its multi ethnic society.
In the framework of the discussion on the parliamentary dimension, the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs emphasised the role of the parliamentary diplomacy in the development of the relations between the two states.
It is important to underline that the Foreign Affairs Committee Delegation is the first foreign delegation welcomed by the Turkish Minister on the level of parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs.