Brief
information
The second Conference
of Presidents of Parliaments of South-East Europe will be held in the
Alexander Palace Hotel in Skopje from 19 to 21 March 2001. The Conference
topic will be: "Stability, economic growth, democracy and good-neighbourly
relations in South-Eastern Europe.
The forthcoming Conference
will be held in the framework of the South-East European Cooperation
Process established in 1996, upon an authentic initiative by the countries
of the region. Today the Process involves the following members: Macedonia
(currently chairing the Process), Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Greece, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia, as well as Croatia as an observer
country.
The Republic of Macedonia
decided that, as a country chairing the Process and hosting its events,
it will organize the usual events in the period of March 2000 - March
2001. However, due to the situation in the region, on the 25 October
an informal summit was organized in Skopje. The regular (fourth) Summit
of the Heads of State and Government of the SEECP was held on 22 February
2001, for the first time being accompanied by an Economic Forum bringing
together the Economy Ministers of the countries.
As part of the SEECP and
its parliamentary activities, in 1997 a Conference of Presidents of
Parliaments of SEE was held in Athens, attended also by representatives
of parliamentary assemblies of a number of international organizations.
The Conference was followed by a preparatory parliamentary meeting on
expert level to determine modalities for future cooperation. Chairpersons
of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committees met in Turkey in 1998
and in Romania in 2000.
Hoping to promote parliamentary
dimension to the SEECP, the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia launched
an idea to renew the Conference of Parliamentary Presidents. A continued
parliamentary cooperation on the highest level is in line with the conclusion
of the aforementioned Athens Conference "to institutionalise parliamentary
dialogue by organizing Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of South-East
Europe on a regular basis and on the principle of rotation". Due
to various reasons, this commitment has, unfortunately, failed to be
carried out so far. Given the undoubted and currently even more pressing
need for multilateral and bilateral cooperation, and with a view to
following in line with the already established, developed and regular
cooperation on a governmental level, the renewal of the Conference has
been accepted by the parliaments of the participating countries and
supported by parliamentary assemblies of a number of international organizations.
The Summit meeting will be held in Aleksandar
Palas Hotel
Aleksandar Palas Hotel
www.aleksandarpalace.com.mk
tel.: +389 91 392 392,
fax: + 389 91 392 152,
email:info@aleksandarpalace.com.mk
