Skopje, 27 September 2023 (MIA) — Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi will take part in the Council of Europe's European Conference of Presidents of Parliament held in Dublin, Ireland, on Sept. 28-29. He is leading a delegation including Member of Parliament Nikola Micevski and Parliament Secretary General Cvetanka Ivanova.

According to an official press release, the conference will focus on three topics.

The first topic of discussion is the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the role of national parliaments in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

The second topic of discussion is the challenges to representative democracy in volatile times.

The third topic of discusion is equality and diversity in public representation – the participation of young people, women and ethnic and social groups as Members of Parliament.

Parliament Speaker Xhaferi will participate in the first discussion, on the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the role of national parliaments in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

On the sidelines of the conference, he will hold bilateral meetings with some of his counterparts, the release adds.

More than 350 delegates are expected to attend the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, which is held every two years under the auspices of the Strasbourg-based Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, hosted this year by the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Irish Parliament.

Ahead of the summit opening, women Presidents of Parliament who are participating will hold a working breakfast and there will also be a meeting of the parliamentary secretaries general.

In addition, there will be a pre-conference event on “Hate speech and threats of violence against elected representatives.”

The first European Conference of Presidents of Parliament was held in 1975. It takes place every other year, in Strasbourg or in a host country. Topics on the agenda include prominent political issues. mr/