Speaker of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva and Deputy Speaker of the Macedonian Parliament Frosina Tashevska-Remenski have shared the opinion that Bulgaria and Macedonia want to use all opportunities for deepening their cooperation. A delegation of the Macedonia-Bulgaria Friendship Group, led by Frosina Tashevska-Remenski, is visiting Bulgaria on 21-22 March 2018.

Speaker of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva said that Bulgaria and Macedonia had made a historic step with the ratification of the Treaty for Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation. This document will open many doors and opportunities for deepening and intensifying bilateral relations in different areas, emphasised Tsveta Karayancheva. She said that the National Assembly was ready to share its experience and support its Macedonian counterparts towards a full membership in NATO and the EU. The parliamentary dialogue and opinion exchange between representatives of the Friendship Groups in the two legislative institutions have a key role in the European integration process, emphasised Tsveta Karayancheva.

Deputy Speaker of the Macedonian Parliament expressed her gratitude to the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament for the unanimous endorsement of the ratification of the Treaty for Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation. In her words, the document opens us new opportunities for developing the bilateral relations at all levels and is an important step that will support Macedonia’s accession process to the EU and NATO. Frosina Tashevska-Remenski emphasised that the Macedonian parliamentarians wanted to use the experience and best practices of their Bulgarian counterparts to improve the work of the institutions. The development of good neighbourly relations with the countries from the region is a priority for Macedonia, as they are a guarantee for the future regional stability and security, emphasised Frosina Tashevska-Remensksi.

Later the guests met with the MPs from the Bulgaria-Macedonia Friendship Group. Among the topics discussed at the meeting were the integration and inclusion of the Western Balkans countries to the European Union and NATO, as well as potential opportunities for implementing infrastructure projects of importance to both countries.

Here you have and can always find many new friends, said Chair of the Bulgaria-Macedonia Friendship Group Boris Vangelov, and expressed his satisfaction with the official visit of Macedonian parliamentarians to Bulgaria. Boris Vangelov emphasised the need of more active parliamentary cooperation in the next years. I am confident that the relations between our two countries have entered a new stage.

Deputy Speaker of the Macedonian Parliament Frosina Tashevska-Remenski said that the Macedonian authorities were committed to developing good neighbourly relations. Our generation of politicians needs to show that we can work for the better future of the citizens of Bulgaria and Macedonia and the whole region, she said. In her words, the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU is of key importance also for Macedonia, because there is strong support of it integration to the European Union and NATO.

The delegation of the Macedonia-Bulgaria Friendship Group, led by Frosina Tashevska-Remenski, was welcomed in the plenary hall of the National Assembly.

During their visit, the guests will meet with the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds, the Foreign Policy Committee and Deputy Prime Minister for the Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva.