President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova had a tete-a-tete meeting today in Sofia with the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, which was followed by a meeting of the Macedonian and Bulgarian delegations, attended also by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timcho Mutcunski, and the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Zoran Ljutkov.
At the meeting with the Bulgarian President, they discussed the need for enhanced development of Macedonian-Bulgarian relations, overcoming the open issues between the two countries, the course of the accession process for membership in the European Union and the use of Bulgarian experiences along the way, as well as the opportunities to encourage and promote bilateral cooperation in several areas.
The President said that constant dialogue and conversation between the two neighboring NATO member states and positive examples from both sides are needed in order to build stable good neighborly relations.
In that context, she emphasized the importance of cultural and public diplomacy, as well as the need to promote cooperation in the field of infrastructure, economy and trade and focus on the challenges of the present, instead of focusing on the past.
In the talks with President Radev, the President emphasized that the Macedonian authorities are undertaking all the necessary activities for the construction of several large regional infrastructure projects that are of strategic importance for the country, the region and the European Union.
At the meeting, President Siljanovska Davkova emphasized the necessity of continuing the bilateral political dialogue at all levels, exchanging visits and building relations with mutual respect and support, while the positive experience in the cooperation of the cultural exchange plan was highlighted, which contributes to increasing of trust and friendship between the two societies.
At the meeting, opinions were also exchanged on the development of Macedonian-Bulgarian relations through the prism of the challenges we face at the regional and global level, which require a common and harmonized approach.
In the interest of promoting multi-sector cooperation, the interlocutors pointed out the possibility of inclusion in addition to the institutional and non-institutional actors, the civil and business sectors, as well as the scientific-educational institutions and the media.
At the meeting, President Siljanovska Davkova extended an invitation to President Radev to visit our country, which the Bulgarian President accepted.
At the meeting, President Siljanovska Davkova expressed her condolences for today’s tragic incident in Bulgaria, in which two pilots of the Bulgarian aviation lost their lives when a military plane crashed.
