Skopje, 13 October 2022 (MIA) – President of the National Council of the Federal Parliament of Switzerland, Irène Kälin, said in an address to the Macedonian MPs on Thursday that relations between the two countries are excellent and expressed her satisfaction, that after many years, progress has been made on the country’s EU accession path. “With a great commitment to democracy, integration and peace, you are sending an important message and a signal to the region and beyond,” said the President of the Swiss National Council, underlining the importance of promoting and defending democratic principles and unity, now more than ever. Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi and Kälin first met in April during their visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, where they offered their support to the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada. She stated it is her honor to have the chance to address the Macedonian MPs and citizens in the name of the Swiss Parliament and people. “Our parliaments and governments share strong bonds, North Macedonia represents a priority in Swiss support and development of democratic governance, economic development and the creation of new jobs, and it is precisely our parliamentary services that have been cooperating since 2016, and I have to say that it is a very fruitful cooperation,” she said. Kälin pointed out that the visit to Ukraine and everything that has happened in Europe since February inspired her as a parliamentarian and, at the same time, pushed her to think about the values that the European community shares. “We are proud of our democratic, inclusive system and the important role of the parliaments, but democracy is not an end in itself, democracy is a system which lends a voice and a chance to everyone. Democracy is a competition of ideas, a system which benefits the majority as much as it protects the minorities. It is important that we all contribute to help democracy survive. Democracy guarantees our basic rights. Democracy provides the rules of coexistence and legal certainty,” said Kälin. Switzerland, like North Macedonia, she added, is a small country which unites many entities and is surrounded by bigger EU member states. Both countries work together to become a part of the European community, yet at the same time they remain proud of their self-determination. The President of the Swiss Parliament said democracy is founded on the respect of the people towards the institutions, saying that “as elected MPs, they should work to increase their trust.” “This is why it is our responsibility to guarantee the system of control of the Government and of the judiciary. In Switzerland, direct democracy allows the citizens to participate through referendums and opinion. The direct involvement of the citizens is at the core of the Swiss political system. In that way the citizens can express whether they agree with the political decisions made by the Government and Parliament, and of course, they can also express their disagreement and criticism, which is even more important. Disagreement and criticism are also a part of our democracy. They are the signs of a healthy country. They point us to alternative solutions which lead to more satisfied citizens. Finding these solutions most often requires compromise,” said Kälin. Compromise, she underlined, is the best way to ensure harmony and stability. On the economic and energy crisis, the war in Ukraine and the situation with the pandemic, she said that these are times during which it seems that political consensus is very difficult to attain, however, at the same time it is necessary to make space for such consensus. “Even if we disagree on certain factual issues and argue about the best development path for our country, we must never forget our basic common values: democracy, justice and human rights,” said the President of the Swiss Parliament. ad/ik/