Macedonia, Slovakia sign agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation

Macedonia and Slovakia on Tuesday signed a protocol to improve bilateral cooperation in the spheres of energy, industry, agriculture and investment, during the first session of the Joint Macedonian-Slovak Committee on Economic Cooperation.

Macedonian Deputy Economy Minister Hristijan Delev said: "Slovakia has enormous potential especially in the automotive industry. It hosts famous brands such as Peugeot, Volkswagen, while KIA and Jaguar Land Rover are expected to soon enter the country's market, which will open for us new forms of mutual cooperation."

Slovak Economy Ministry State Secretary Rastislav Chovanec said: "The cooperation between Slovakia and Macedonia has great potential and several spheres where we can find common interest have been identified."

During discussions, Slovakia expressed its willingness to cooperate in the spheres of thermal power plants and the construction of small hydro power plants, while Macedonia invited Slovak companies to help build gas infrastructure.

Macedonia also hoped Macedonian wine, fruit and vegetables could be sold on the Slovak market.

Both countries agreed to share experiences regarding the use of the European Union funds.

The next session of the Joint Macedonian-Slovak Committee on Economic Cooperation will take place in Bratislava. Enditem