Prime Minister Zoran Zaev opened the joint session of the governments of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Kosovo with another welcome to Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who today is leading the government from Pristina in a working visit to Skopje, is stated by the government press service in a statement after the session held by the governments of the two countries.
The first joint session of the two governments of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Kosovo, said Prime Minister Zaev, is another confirmation of the excellent friendly relations, close cooperation, continuous upgrading of the mutual interests and sharing of common commitments for the Western Balkans as a region of lasting peace and fully integrated in EU and NATO.
– I am convinced that this session will result in many projects that will enable closer cooperation between the governments and the competent ministries and institutions, and which are in the interests of our citizens. There are many more opportunities ahead of us. Many common interests connect us, and so our economies are directed towards each other, highlighted Prime Minister Zaev in his introductory words at the joint session.
Zaev emphasized that this joint session puts at the forefront agreements and memorandums on infrastructure connectivity of the two countries, with the purpose of facilitating and promoting economic cooperation and communication, as well as those that include cross-border projects with the support of EU IPA programs, cooperation in the field of energy, as well as in tourism, culture and others.
-Our two countries are not large in territory, and in this sense we are similar. But we are also similar in our great ambitions and potentials. The Republic of North Macedonia is ready to share with the Republic of Kosovo the experiences from our NATO integration on your path to membership in the Alliance. Together, we are on the path to full EU integration. We expect soon to start the EU negotiations by chapters, and in the future we will be able to cooperate closer in this area as well, stressed Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
The Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, as the government press service informed, expressed condolences for the victims of the accident that took place in the Tetovo modular hospital and to all the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.
– A brief look through the pages of history and both Skopje and Pristina and Prizren and Tetovo can be found in one place, and that our countries share many things, because our history is full of events that have inseparably determined our destiny, said Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti.
For him, this first session is an expression of the will to mark a more intensive phase of mutual cooperation, but also an expression of gratitude for our good neighbourly relations.
– The path of our two countries, but also of other countries in the region, is that of cooperation, inclusion and mutual respect, where we do not protect ourselves from one another, because we know that our future is common, said Prime Minister Kurti.
First Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of North Macedonia Artan Grubi shared the assessment that the joint session of the two governments is a historic event and thanked for the energy of all those involved in the preparation of the joint session of the two governments.
– Yet another door is opened for promoting cooperation in many areas, said Deputy Prime Minister Grubi, and added that the energy in the organization of this joint session will be translated also in the implementation of the memorandums and agreements that are being signed today.
First Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi thanked for the warm welcome and for the opportunity at a joint session to share the experiences of the two countries in the process of EU integration. As is said in the statement, he said that the start of the EU negotiations of North Macedonia will be a success for the Republic of Kosovo too, as they will have a neighbour that can help much in the aspirations of the Republic of Kosovo for membership in the European Union.
– The meeting further included the other Deputy Prime Ministers of the two governments, who spoke about economic cooperation, cooperation in the fight against organized crime and corruption, jointly dealing with natural disasters, informs the press service of the Government of the RNM.
At the joint session, joint initiatives in environmental protection were also announced, for cooperation in projects for rural development and agriculture, for legal assistance in civil procedures, cross-border cooperation and cooperation in projects for support of North Macedonia and Kosovo on the path to EU membership.
At the end of the joint session, Prime Minister Zaev expressed confidence that in the following period the ministers of the two government will be committed to the implementation of the tasks resulting from the documents that were signed today and that it will give impulse to the development of cooperation in many other areas in the future.
– Our close cooperation can only encourage other partners from the region and from the EU to cooperate with us even more and better. We demonstrate that we are responsible governments, for which the interests of the citizens for a better life come first, said the Prime Minister of the Government of North Macedonia at the joint session with the Government of the Republic of Kosovo.
In the ceremonial part of the session today the Prime Ministers of the two governments and the responsible Ministers signed Memorandums of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Kosovo for a feasibility study for the Prizren-Tetovo road and for rehabilitation of the Blace zone between the two border buildings of the two countries.
An Agreement for cooperation in the area of the diaspora was signed, and Agreement on the Status of Members of the Armed Forces of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Security Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (SOFA), Protocol for Implementation of the Agreement for execution of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Kosovo on Border Regulation of Railway Traffic, Memorandum of Cooperation in the Energy Sector, Agreement on Cooperation in the field of tourism, Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of innovation and technological development and entrepreneurs, Partnership Agreement between the Republic of Kosovo, represented by the Ministry of Local Government Administration as a leading partner and the Republic of North Macedonia, represented by the Ministry of Local Self-Government as a partner for grant management, Agreement for technical assistance 2019/410-322, within the IPA Kosovo – Macedonia program 2014/2020.
A Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Local Self-Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Ministry of Regional Development of the Republic of Kosovo and a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development of the Republic of Kosovo were also signed.
Translation: N. Cvetkovska
