The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today in the framework of the ceremony of changing the state flag, handed the first Macedonian officer sword of honor to the Commander of the Honor Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Atanasovski.

The promotion of the first Macedonian officer sword of honor marked the 75^th anniversary of the Day of the Honor Battalion in the ARM. With the first Macedonian officer sword of honor, the guard unit of the ARM performed today the ceremonial act of changing the state flag in the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Macedonia.

The author of the first Macedonian officer sword of honor is the Commander of the Honor Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Atanasovski, and the sword is designed by the heraldic artist Stojance Velickovski.

An Army Representative of the Honor Battalion of the ARM noted that the sword will have ceremonial role in the welcome ceremony of senior guests, defense ministers, chiefs of general staff and within the ceremonies organized by the ARM.

“Within 6 or 7 months, the first Macedonian officer sword of honors was finalized. The working group consulted the Military Museum, the Archives of the MOC and the IRC, cooperated with the Heraldic Society and the heraldic artist who developed the design of the sword. We cooperated with the Institute of Chemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and we were entrusted with the mineral lorandite and incorporated it into the sword. Mr. Chkartov also gave us a sample of the ruby ​​that is also built into the sword’s handle. When all the elements were fitted, we organized the today’s celebration of promoting the sword before President Ivanov”, he said.

The heraldic artist Stojance Velickovski, the designer of the first Macedonian officer sword, said that the idea dated back a long time and that he has been conducting research in the field of heraldry for more than 3 decades.

“We created a team that worked for a long time on researching all the symbols that mean something about Macedonian history, tradition and culture. I had the honor to create the symbol of the military honor and to put all our symbols in visualization. First of all, I refer to our floral symbol Quercus macedonica, which is applied in the handle and the symbol of infinity taken from the golden mask of Trebenishta. The whole composition is adapted to represent the Macedonian history, culture and tradition, because the oak itself is a symbol that shows solidity, virtue, tradition and perseverance, and all these attributes belong to our Macedonian people and are placed in such a symbol that today was promoted during the ceremony in the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Macedonia”, Mr. Velichkovski said.

The ceremonial sword is decorated with a unique Macedonian ruby ​​and the rare mineral of the lorandite of the Alshar mine. The decorative ornament of the sword is a golden glove, which in its shape is in the form of a plait and represents a symbol of infinity, and in the circular forms that are formed subsequently the sun appears as a symbol. The shape of the shield on the handle is inspired by the Macedonian oak, while its transparent segments symbolize the readiness and the aspiration of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia to build a modern and transparent army that will protect the sovereignty and integrity of the Republic of Macedonia.

In the framework of the official ceremony of changing the state flag, President Ivanov was presented with the first book “Honorary Guard of the ARM” dedicated to all members of the honor guard, whose author is Lieutenant-Colonel Ivan Atanasovski, and was promoted on the Day the of Honor Battalion of the ARM.

The official ceremony of changing the state flag in the President’s Cabinet was attended by students from four elementary schools from Skopje, Johan Heinrich Pestaloci, Kuzman Shapkarev, Gjorgija Pulevski and Braka Miladinovci, as well as children from the kindergarten “Cool Kids”.

The teacher Aneta Velkovska from the “Brakja Miladinovci” Primary School from Skopje emphasized that the presence at this event is of great importance and has practical application in the subject of the State regulation of the Republic of Macedonia, adding that they are trying to raise awareness in students to love their homeland, respect for the symbols of our country, Republic of Macedonia.

The ceremony of the change of the state flag is aimed at raising the feeling and respect for the flag of the Republic of Macedonia as a symbol of statehood of our country, Republic of Macedonia.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, accompanied by his wife, Ms. Maja Ivanova, at the invitation of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attended today the opening ceremony of the new airport in Istanbul.

The opening ceremony was attended by over 50 senior officials from around the world, including the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, the President of the Republic of Albania, Ilir Meta, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Boyko Borisov.

At the beginning, the new airport will serve 90 million passengers annually. By completing the other stages by 2028, the new Istanbul Airport will be the most frequent airport in the world, with a capacity of 200 million passengers per year.

On the second day of the official visit to the Czech Republic, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, met with the President of the Czech Government, Mr. Andrej Babis, and the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, Milan Stech and Mr. Radek Vondrachek.

At the meeting with the President of the Czech Government, Mr. Andrei Babis, the two interlocutors reaffirmed their readiness to promote mutual friendship and support at bilateral and multilateral level.

The Macedonian President stressed that the Republic of Macedonia especially appreciates the consistent and principled support of the Czech Republic for our top strategic goals - NATO and EU membership, as well as the principle use of our constitutional name.

President Ivanov once again expressed his satisfaction with the overall cooperation and support from the Czech Republic during the refugee and migrant crisis.

"We especially appreciate the cooperation between Macedonia and the Czech Republic related to the migrant crisis and we are grateful for the assistance granted to the Macedonian police for its successful management. This cooperation is a confirmation that the Czech Republic is a true friend of Macedonia", President Ivanov said at the meeting.

President Ivanov and Prime Minister Babis exchanged information and opinions on the refugee and migrant crisis at the meeting.

The President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Milan Stech and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Radek Vondrachek, at the meetings with the Macedonian President expressed satisfaction with the development of the bilateral relations and gave support for the realization of the Macedonian strategic goals, the EU and NATO membership.

The first people of the Czech parliament expressed their readiness to strengthen the cooperation between the parliaments of both countries in order to promote the legislation in the area of migration, as well as exchange of data and experiences in dealing with the migrant and refugee crisis.

At the meetings, readiness was expressed for continuation of the Czech assistance for the Republic of Macedonia on our southern border.
With today's activities, Ivanov wrapped up his two-day official visit to the Czech Republic. Yesterday in Prague, the Macedonian President met with the Czech President, Milos Zeman, and sent messages on the current political situation in Macedonia.

If there is a very low turnout in the referendum, this can mean three things: boycott, indifference or poorly defined question. Which of these three things is valid for Macedonia should be clear to those who organized it, said the President of the Czech Republic, Mr. Milos Zeman, at the joint press conference with the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, who is paying a two-day official visit to the Czech Republic.

President Ivanov stressed that we cannot freely interpret the Constitution and the laws, and they clearly state what a successful and what a failed referendum is.

- The fact is that we have a failed referendum. Any other interpretation cannot change the figures that are fixed and known. That is why I called for responsibility. To all those who visited Macedonia, and we had many foreign representatives who visited Macedonia in the past, I pointed out that this would happen. The European Union and NATO cannot be alibi for a bad and harmful agreement. You cannot accept an agreement in which there is a provision that there will be a referendum, without providing a national consensus in the state. You cannot accept a change of the Constitution without providing a two-thirds majority in the Parliament. Therefore, I pointed out that someone should be responsible for this, and we know who that is. With responsibility assumed, it will be easier to continue this process, which is very sensitive, very complex and has been holding Macedonia hostage for 27 years due to the irrational demands of its southern neighbor, the Macedonian President said.



Regarding the NATO and EU membership, President Ivanov stressed that Macedonia is a victim of double standards and that the Agreement with Greece does not contain guarantees that it will be respected by the Greek side and at the same time reminded that Greece does not respect either the Interim Accord or The Hague verdict.

- There are no guarantees in the agreement. The Agreement was negotiated personally by the Prime Minister, without the President of the state. We, as a state leadership in Macedonia, have built a national consensus in the past years. That was the position of the previous presidents. In the Parliament, a declaration was adopted in 2008. We accept a solution, but we have never accepted a change in the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia for changing the constitutional name, President Ivanov answered a journalist question.

Asked to comment the Agreement with Greece, President Zeman said he did not want to interfere in Macedonia's internal affairs, but called on both sides to resume negotiations. "It can take a long time, but we hope that this dispute will be resolved", Zeman told a press conference.

The two presidents also discussed the possibilities for deepening the cooperation in the field of security, with Ivanov thanking for the support and assistance from the Czech Republic during the migrant and refugee crisis.

- It is in the interest of the Czech Republic. Keep in mind that defending the border is important not only for migrants who pass by. Today, no one denies that among the migrants there are jihadists and foreign soldiers returning to Europe. I support the right of Macedonia to protect its borders. They are not just its borders, but are boundaries of a whole civilized Europe, said the Czech President, Mr. Milos Zeman.

The two presidents discussed the promotion of the economic cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Czech Republic.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, in the framework of his participation in the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, had a meeting with the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres.

The meeting focused on the activities of the Republic of Macedonia within the United Nations.

President Ivanov reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Republic of Macedonia to strengthen the role of the United Nations in dealing with global challenges.

Global challenges require a global, coordinated and unified response, for which we need a strong and effective Organization of the United Nations, President Ivanov said at the meeting.

At the meeting, opinions were exchanged about the current internal political situation in the Republic of Macedonia. Regarding the Prespa Treaty, President Ivanov reiterated his view that the EU and NATO should not be an alibi for a poor agreement that raises many more issues than it closes.

The UN Secretary-General Guterres said in relation to the upcoming referendum that the Macedonian people should make the decision on their own and that they will respect that decision.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, attended yesterday the opening of the general debate of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.  The topic this year is: "Making the United Nations relevant to all people: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies".

In the framework of the UN General Assembly, the Macedonian President held bilateral meetings with Jordan's King Abdullah II with, Vladimir Voronkov, UN Under Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States.

At the meeting with the Jordanian King Abdullah II, opinions were exchanged on the overall bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Kingdom of Jordan, and it was mutually agreed that the two countries nurture friendly and partnership relations without open issues.

President Ivanov stressed the interest of the Republic of Macedonia for further promotion of bilateral contacts through meetings at a higher level, as well as the need for more frequent contacts and exchange of delegations from both countries at different levels.

At the meeting, President Ivanov said that the Republic of Macedonia closely monitors the developments in the region and supports efforts for achieving lasting peace in the Middle East.

The two interlocutors exchanged views on the internal political situation and the regional situation and priorities of the two countries.

President Ivanov stressed the interest of the Republic of Macedonia in promoting economic cooperation and expanding the volume of trade in all fields, which, as pointed out at the meeting, requires institutional support from both countries for establishing contacts and exchange of information between the business sectors.

At the meeting, the two interlocutors expressed readiness for further cooperation and support on a multilateral level.

At the meeting with Under Secretary Voronkov, views and information were exchanged on Macedonia's role in the fight against international terrorism, constant and direct threats from terrorist networks.

At the meeting, President Ivanov conveyed the interest of the Republic of Macedonia for participation of civilian and military personnel in the United Nations bodies that create policies for dealing with global threats.

Under Secretary Voronkov thanked for the participation of the Republic of Macedonia and its contribution to the comprehensive strategy for combating terrorism and fighting violent extremism, emphasizing that in the next period, he will propose appropriate package for institutional strengthening of the Balkan countries and participation in projects for greater security.

At the meeting with Archbishop Gallagher, opinions on the overall bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Holy See were exchanged, and satisfaction with the increased dynamics of meetings and high level visits was expressed.

The two interlocutors exchanged views on the ongoing initiatives aimed at deepening mutual cooperation.

Archbishop Gallagher welcomed the fact that, although the Catholic community in the Republic of Macedonia is small, it is still highly respected, assessing it as a confirmation of the Macedonian model of interreligious coexistence.

Stressing that the Republic of Macedonia has a profound tradition of respecting different religious sentiments, President Ivanov stressed the constructive role of the Catholic Church as an important pillar of inter-ethnic and inter-religious coexistence.

President Ivanov expressed hope that Pope Francis will accept the open invitation to visit the Republic of Macedonia, which would be of great importance for the promotion of bilateral relations, for the Catholic community in the Republic of Macedonia and in general for all Christian believers.

President Ivanov is scheduled to address the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations on Thursday.