Skopje, 12 July 2023 (MIA) - Parliament Speaker and President of the Delegation of the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Talat Xhaferi, met Wednesday with Chairperson of the Friendship and Cooperation Group of the Australian Parliament, Cassandra Fernando.

Members of the delegation including Jovan Mitreski, Arber Ademi, Nikola Micevski, Atnan Neziri, Dime Velkovski, Eli Panova and Secretary General of the Parliament Cvetanka Ivanova also attended the meeting.

Xhaferi pointed out that the geographical distance is not an obstacle to the development of good and friendly relations between North Macedonia and Australia, given that the two countries share the same democratic values, the Parliament said in a press release. 

Fernando said that Australia and North Macedonia have friendly relations and ties that go beyond the diplomatic aspect.

Participants in the meeting stressed that the diaspora from North Macedonia, which is the fifth largest non-Asian diaspora in Australia, can represent a bridge of greater connection between the citizens of the two countries, and the frequent visits by MPs from Australia reaffirm good mutual relations.

MPs noted that the country condemns Russian aggression, and it is involved in the process of supporting Ukraine.

In addition, the MPs briefed Fernando on the progress of the EU integration process, noting that the country is nearing the end of the screening process and the beginning of the constitutional amendments, reads the press release.

Photo: Parliament