UNMIK/PR/707
PRISTINA - Upon the invitation of President Boris Trajkovski, SRSG Michael Steiner today traveled to Skopje for his first official visit to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia since he took office in Pristina.
The two discussed regional issues and methods of cooperation.
Following the meeting, SRSG Michael Steiner told media that the border agreement between fYROM and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, signed in February 2001, must be respected.
He added that: “We both agreed on the need to take into consideration the lives of normal people on the ground, and the practical problems of their daily lives that need to be resolved, notwithstanding the need to respect the agreement.”
SRSG Michael Steiner said that it had been decided to establish a Joint Experts Committee between UNMIK and Skopje. This Committee would not deal with demarcation, he said, but with practical problems on the ground. The Committee will meet as soon as possible, he said.
President Trajkovski and SRSG Michael Steiner also discussed how to implement police cooperation,-- particularly regarding illegal border crossings, missing persons, intelligence, crime prevention, processing of visas for UNMIK Travel Documents, and access to fYROM for vehicles registered in Kosovo.
SRSG Michael Steiner praised the proposal by President Trajkovski for an “economic spring offensive.”
“If you want to boost the economy of the region,” the SRSG said, “you need stable environments in fYROM and Kosovo.”
“This is a man who understands the needs of Macedonia and the region” he said. “We are in full agreement on our common interests.
“President Trajkovski is a partner we can work with. I’m very grateful for this invitation and the fruitful discussion,” SRSG Michael Steiner told media.
