Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the committee I welcome the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Dr. Bujar Osmani. The Minister is joined by his adviser, Mr. Musa Xhemail, the former ambassador of North Macedonia to Ireland, Ms Aleksandra Miovska, and the chargé d'affaires, Ms Biljana Gligorova. Today we will discuss North Macedonia's EU accession progress and other matters.

Before we begin, I have a housekeeping note on privilege that applies here in the Parliament. All witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of a person or entity. Therefore, if a statement is potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, witnesses will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with such direction.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside of the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I remind members of the constitutional requirement that members must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex in order to participate in public meetings. I cannot permit a member to participate if they are not adhering to this requirement. Therefore, any member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting. In this regard, I ask any member partaking via MS Teams that, prior to making their contribution, they confirm they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus.

With that bit of housekeeping and legality done, I call on the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Dr. Bujar Osmani to make his opening statement to our committee. We had a chance to say “hello” outside. It is great to have him here. We look forward to hearing from him. A number of members will welcome the opportunity to engage with him in the follow-up.