TIRANA – The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) met with the delegation of MPs from North Macedonia on September 6th, 2022, at the Head Office of RYCO in Tirana, Albania represented by: Ms. Monika Zajkova – Chair of the Parliamentary Club for Youth Affairs and Policies of North Macedonia, Ms. Marija Petrushevska – Member of the Parliamentary Club, Mr. Muhamed Kadriov – Member of the Parliamentary Club, Ms. Kornelija Radovanovikj – Project Officer of the British Embassy in North Macedonia, Ms. Dona Kosturanova – Country Representative of WFD North Macedonia and Ms. Alkida Alushaj – Programme Manager of WFD Albania. During the meeting, the delegation got familiarized with the work and priorities of RYCO and discussed possible areas of cooperation with other relevant stakeholders in Albania and the region.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy has closely collaborated with the Albanian Parliament in establishing for the first time a Club of MPs dedicated to youth issues. The main goal of this initiative is to contribute and promote an inclusive political system, especially for the youth. Parliamentary Youth Club will serve not only to address and advance youth issues in national policy-making but also to interact with civil society actors, and advocate for essential issues for the development of democracy and rule of law.
RYCO Secretary General – Mr. Albert Hani used this opportunity to present the development path of RYCO and said that, since its establishment, RYCO has been investing in youth and peace and security in the Western Balkans and that special attention has been devoted to offering and supporting them with different mechanisms in different fields in order to make the information more accessible. “Youth has shown enormous interest in what we as RYCO deliver because they do not only see benefits of involvement on a professional level but personal as well” he underlined.
Head of the Local Branch in Tirana – Mr. Kreshnik Loka expressed that the creation and implementation of youth policies require maximum focus from all legislators. “I’m glad that after this meeting we have established a common ground on youth priorities so we can address the concerns and various issues of young people directly to the decision makers” he stated.
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjevski emphasized that the local branch in North Macedonia remains committed to strengthening the network of collaborators working together on a joint goal of creating prospective opportunities for youth from the Western Balkans. In that sense, we are glad that we already have established close cooperation with the club of youth MPs of North Macedonia and we are looking forward to strengthening the connection and common actions locally and within Western Balkans.
After this meeting, RYCO has successfully built a communication bridge to jointly identify and follow steps in developing and implementing joint actions and initiatives targeting youth.