Visit to the National Security Authority of the Republic of Slovenia

Ljubljana, 11-12 May 2011

Upon the invitation of the National Security Authority (NSA) of the Republic of Slovenia, bilateral talks on the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information, signed on March 31, 2010 in Skopje and entered into force on January 1, 2011, were held in Ljubljana on 11-12 May 2011.

The talks included discussions on a number of issues related to the practical application of the provisions of the bilateral agreement in the mutual cooperation of the competent services of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Slovenia in the field of the classified information and of the vetting procedures for the users of the classified information. Furthermore, opinions were exchanged on the possibility to extend the so called international assistance, i.e. the legal assistance during the vetting of the citizens belonging to one’s own country and residing or working in another country. Also, the Slovenian party briefed the Macedonian delegation on its activities within the Multinational Industrial Security Working Group (MISWG) and on its initiative the Republic of Macedonia to receive the status of observer, after which it could become a full-fledged member of the working group.

During the discussions the two parties also shared experiences on their cooperation with the other countries in the region and wider in Europe, as well as their opinions on the possibility to establish a communication link among the national security authorities of the countries in the former Yugoslav republics and wider in the Balkans.