Skopje, 24 February 2024 (MIA) - As part of his visit to Kiev on Saturday on the occasion of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Speaker of the Parliament of North Macedonia, Jovan Mitreski, met with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk.  

Speaker Mitreski expressed gratitude for the invitation, pointing out that the visit reaffirms North Macedonia's unwavering and unequivocal support for Ukraine, in all fields. He said that the country has strongly condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine from its very beginning, and continuously reaffirms support for Ukrainian territorial integrity, sovereignty and completeness, expressing full support for Ukraine's right to self-defense, the Parliament said in a press release. 

Speaker Mitreski noted that North Macedonia has joined all restrictions and sanctions of the EU against the Russian Federation, co-sponsoring numerous resolutions and initiatives regarding Ukraine, and sending military and humanitarian aid to the country.

"I hope that in the coming period we will be talking about the bright future and the possibilities for promoting the cooperation between our countries in the field of economy, cultural exchange and tourism," said Mitreski. 

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, thanked for North Macedonia's consistent support to Ukraine, and important decisions taken joining various sanctions against Russia, as well as the support for the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. He pointed out that the people of Ukraine and North Macedonia are very close, have a similar history and share common goals for EU and NATO membership.

On Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Stefanchuk expressed hope that the war will soon be over with a just peace, with respect for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that this is possible only if all democratic countries unite in support of Ukraine. "The history of our countries is being written here and now," said Stefanchuk. 

The Speakers also discussed the European integration processes, expressing hope that North Macedonia and Ukraine will join the European Union as soon as possible, noting that the task of the parliaments is to implement all the necessary legal changes in this regard.

"Mitreski and Stefanchuk agreed that the Macedonian and Ukrainian parliaments have an active political dialogue and successful cooperation at the level of speakers and inter-parliamentary friendship groups, stressing that it is important to preserve and strengthen this trend in the future," reads the press release. 

Photo: Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia