STA, 24 May 2019 - The Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev and an economic delegation will start their two-day formal visit to Slovenia on Monday at the invitation of Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec. The visit is designed to strengthened the countries' economic cooperation.
The countries have successful relations, maintained at high-level bilateral as well as multilateral meetings, with Slovenia supporting North Macedonia in its efforts to join NATO and the EU.
Since last year's Prespa agreement, which resolved the name dispute with Greece, the Slovenian government has been pointing out that the EU should set the date at the June summit for the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia.
The Slovenian government believes that North Macedonia has proven itself and demonstrated its resolve to join the EU by solving the long-lasting dispute as well as implementing numerous reforms.
Slovenia regards the strategy of Euro-Atlantic enlargement in the Western Balkans as a way of ensuring security and stability in the region and Europe.
On Monday afternoon Zaev will deliver a lecture titled The Republic of North Macedonia - Success Story at the Ljubljana International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES).
Šarec and Zaev will then address on Tuesday the participants of the Slovenian-North Macedonian Business Forum hosted by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce. The event will be attended by representatives of some 14 North Macedonian companies and the North Macedonian Chamber of Commerce.
The Parliamentary Speaker Talat Xhaferi of North Macedonia visited Slovenia in February, when Slovenia ratified a protocol on the accession of North Macedonia to NATO as the second country to do so after Greece. Since then, the protocol has been signed by a number of other countries as well, with North Macedonia expecting to become the 30th NATO member already this year.
