Bilateral negotiations with the National Security Authority of the Italian Republic

20-21 September 2011, Rome

As a result of the initiative of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information and upon the invitation of the National Security Authority of the Italian Republic, the first round of the negotiations for harmonization of the text of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of the Italian Republic on Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information was held on 20-21 September 2011 in Rome. The negotiations, which resulted in agreed first version of the text of the agreement, were held in constructive atmosphere during which the two services exchanged their experiences related to the protection of classified information.

The two parties assessed that it was necessary to finalize the negotiations and to sign the agreement as soon as possible, since that would be particularly beneficial from the aspect of the industrial security, due to the increased number of Italian legal entities which wish to participate in classified tenders in the Republic of Macedonia. As a result, the two parties agreed to have the second round of negotiations in Skopje at the beginning of 2012.