Thursday, 3 February 2011
MACEDONIAN SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS IN THE BUNDESTAG – UNOFFICIAL AMBASSADORS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
The Vice President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Ms. Svetlana Jakimovska, had a meeting with the students awarded scholarship from the International Parliamentary Scholarship Programme (IPS) of the German Bundestag.
The International Parliamentary Scholarship (IPS) is a traditional activity of the German Bundestag. It is project of the German Parliament in cooperation with the Technical University, Freie Universität Berlin, and Humboldt University providing opportunity to young graduate students from South-Eastern Europe to learn more about the parliamentary system in Germany.
The Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia is included in the IPS Project since 2001. The German Bundestag, the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia and the German Embassy are the institutions authorised for implementation of the Project.
H.E. Ms. Ulrike Maria Knotz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Macedonia attended the meeting.
The Vice President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Ms. Svetlana Jakimovska, expressed her content for the opportunity to prepare the Program for Functioning of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia for the third time, as preparation for the three candidates from the Republic of Macedonia that will stay in the Bundestag as part of the IPS Project for 2011.
The Macedonian Assembly is making efforts for further development of IPS, a project which grants several scholarships to student from the Republic of Macedonia. The goal is to promote this project in the Republic of Macedonia and to attract young people that can qualify for this scholarship.
In 2009 the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia started the preparations for the programme for information about the work and functioning of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia. 5 students have already finished the training. During the 10-day stay in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia they were acquainted with the work in the different Departments.
After their stay in the Bundestag, the students will submit a report containing their impressions and suggestions for practises that can be applied in the work of the Macedonian Parliament.
The participants at the meeting pointed out that the scholarship students are informal ambassadors of the Republic of Macedonia to Germany and that they are expected to represent our country in Germany with dignity and respect.
H.E. Ms. Ulrike Maria Knotz underlined that this program is important because the German politicians want to see the Republic of Macedonia as EU Member State, and the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia and its work are very important for the process of EU integration. She also said that the scholarship students will stay in Germany for 5 months, and that after their arrival in the Republic of Macedonia they will also be ambassadors of Germany to the Republic of Macedonia.