Photo: Bor Slana/Slovenian press agency
President Pirc Musar during the official visit of the President of North Macedonia: “The future of North Macedonia lies in the European Union”
The President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, is on an official visit to the Republic of Slovenia. Today, she was received with military honours by her host, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar. The two presidents reaffirmed the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries, which continue to develop successfully, particularly in the fields of the economy, culture, education, defence and police cooperation. They focused especially on exploring opportunities for further strengthening these ties, notably through North Macedonia’s European Union accession process.
Publish date Presidential Palace,
The two presidents placed special emphasis on economic cooperation and opportunities for its further enhancement, particularly in sectors where Slovenian companies possess specialised expertise, such as agriculture, renewable energy sources, digitalisation, ecotourism and thermal tourism. President Pirc Musar stressed during the talks that further deepening bilateral economic cooperation requires a stronger business environment in terms of legal protection, fair administrative and judicial treatment, as well as the preservation of a stable and transparent regulatory framework.
An important topic of discussion was North Macedonia’s path towards the European Union, which Slovenia has strongly supported from the very beginning. President Pirc Musar is also known as an advocate of the further enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans, as this contributes to the political stability, security and progress of the countries of the region, as well as the wider European area. “The future of North Macedonia lies in the European Union,” stressed the President of the Republic of Slovenia during the visit. She welcomed the country’s reform efforts to date and its consistent alignment with the common European foreign and security policy.
She emphasised that Slovenia is aware of the demanding nature of the accession process, but encourages continued commitment to reforms and the implementation of the necessary steps to open negotiating clusters, including the continuation of constitutional amendments as an important part of the accession process.
The two interlocutors also exchanged views on the overall situation in the region, highlighting North Macedonia’s positive role in promoting regional cooperation. Both presidents agreed that it is extremely important to maintain constructive relations with neighbouring countries and, even in the face of difficult outstanding issues, to strive for dialogue, compromise and solutions in the European spirit.
President Pirc Musar also expressed her gratitude during the talks that North Macedonia will host the Brdo–Brioni Process Summit this autumn, which plays an important role in strengthening regional cooperation and encouraging an open exchange of views through direct dialogue.
The discussions also touched upon current international issues and cooperation within multilateral organisations and regional initiatives. As highlighted by President Pirc Musar, Slovenia advocates consistent respect for international law and for the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter as the best guarantee for peace, security, respect for human rights and sustainable development. In this context, she also expressed the expectation that the process for selecting the next Secretary-General of the United Nations will be conducted in a transparent and inclusive manner, while noting that in the 80-year history of the United Nations there has never been either a female Secretary-General or a Secretary-General from the Eastern European Group.
