Address
Of His Excellency, Srgjan Kerim, Minister Of Foreign Affairs Of The
Republic Of Macedonia
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me begin by extending
my warm welcome to everyone here today, on behalf of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia. I wish
you a pleasant stay in the Republic of Macedonia and much success in
the work of your Conference.
This Conference of the
Presidents of the Parliaments in South Eastern Europe is held at a time
when my country is going through some very difficult times. The sovereignty,
territorial integrity of the Republic of Macedonia and its model of
multiethnic society has been attacked by armed groups of extremists
who have resorted to violence as way to promote their goals. Our efforts
in coping with the situation have received the full support of the overall
international community, including UN, EU and NATO, and of all neighboring
countries. This Conference is a yet another confirmation of support,
and it joins the firm commitment of all parties represented in the Macedonian
Parliament to oppose violence as a means for achieving political goals.
As representatives of the people, and Speakers of your respective Parliaments,
you most of all understand how important it is for the ballot box to
prevail and not the force of guns. The region has suffered enough from
militant policies aimed at creating "greater nation-states"
in South Eastern Europe. Now that South Eastern Europe is making good
headway in the European integration processes, the stability and security
in the Republic of Macedonia and the entire region cannot be put into
question.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As this year's SEECP Chair,
the Republic of Macedonia has actively contributed to the promotion
of the policy of good-neighborliness, security, stability and cooperation
in South-Eastern Europe. In addition to the numerous meetings in various
fields of interests for developing regional cooperation, we also organized
one Ministerial meeting and two Summits of Heads of State and Government
of the SEECP participating countries. On these meetings, we once again
reaffirmed the commitment of our countries and peoples to become part
of the European family by way of our full integration in the European
and Euro-Atlantic processes.
We are very much aware
that cooperation among the countries of the region can help us to realize
the commitment for speeder development and faster European integration.
For that purpose, we adopted the Action Plan for Regional Cooperation
in South Eastern Europe -- an action oriented document that envisages
concrete steps that our relevant Ministries will have to undertake to
facilitate functional integration in various fields of interests, such
as energy, transport, trade, environment.
Distinguished guests,
I am deeply convinced
that a lasting commitment to peace, democracy and development is not
possible without the active participation of the elected representatives
of the citizens of our countries. Regional parliamentary cooperation
can foster mutual understanding, tolerance and good-neighborly relations
among our countries. Parliamentary cooperation can also contribute in
the fight against terrorism, organized crime and illegal immigration,
which are a major obstacle to internal, regional and broader security
and stability.
The support of the Governments
of the countries in the region for furthering cooperation within the
South East European Cooperation Process is also very important, as well
as their efforts for closer rapprochement with European and Euro-Atlantic
structures. As part of this overall effort, the final documents of the
SEECP Ministerial and the Summit, we underscored the importance of enhancing
the parliamentary dimension of the Process and we underlined our expectations
from this meeting. I am confident that this Conference will meet and
exceed these expectations.
In closing, allow me to
thank you once again for the opportunity to address this distinguished
gathering and to wish you success in your work.
