The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, distinguished today Mr. Jovan Pavlevski with Medal of Merit for Macedonia for his long-term promotion of the Republic of Macedonia in the French Republic and throughout the Francophone world.

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Prof. Jovan Pavlevski for exceptional dedication and engagement in his work and activities in the French Republic, thus making a significant contribution to the promotion of the friendly relations and cooperation with the French Republic, as well as for affirmation of the Republic of Macedonia in the world.

“His merits are not only in the field of publishing. As a committed intellectual, he has been advocating and promoting the interests of the Republic of Macedonia in the French Republic and the Francophone world for decades. For many Francophone authors, creators and opinion makers, the meeting with Pavlevski is their first direct meeting with Macedonia and the Macedonian worldview. They see in him what kind of people Macedonia creates. Thus, Professor Pavlevski became the Macedonian voice in the economic and political sciences in the Francophone world”, President Ivanov said.

Professor Pavlevski thanked for the award given by President Ivanov.

“For me, this medal is overwhelming. As a child from Macedonia, it is the first time, after the film, that I get such recognition and I am grateful. Thank you very much. In these moments you are a very great President and your name, I am convinced, will enter the history of the world. There will be no book on political, social sciences without your name inside”, professor Jovan Pavlevski stressed in the speech.

Professor Pavlevski is from the Berovo village Ratevo. In 1960 he left for France, where he holds a doctorate at the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the University of Paris. In his academic career, he was a professor at the Universities of Rouen, Casablanca and Sorbonne. He is the founder of one of the five largest publishing houses for economic and political literature in Europe and the world, “Economics”, which has published over 18,000 authors. Professor Pavlevski is the holder of several top state and academic decorations in the French Republic.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, with his wife, Ms. Maja Ivanova, visited Kavadarci today on the occasion of the "Tikvesh Grape Harvest 2018".

Within the framework of the visit, President Ivanov had a meeting with the Mayor of Kavadarci, Mr. Mitko Janchev. President Ivanov stressed the importance of producing quality table and wine grapes for the entire Tikvesh region. Mayor Janchev, thanking for the presence of President Ivanov, informed that over 6,500 individual farmers with different areas of vineyard have been registered in Kavadarci.

The purpose of the manifestation is traditional marking of the beginning of grape harvesting, through the symbolic cutting of the first cluster. On the occasion of the beginning and celebration of the grape harvest in the streets of Kavadarci, a large carnival defile was also held.

Local representatives, as well as guests from the region, participate in the "Tikvesh Grape Harvest 2018", while the event was attended by citizens from all over the country, representatives from the Government and the diplomatic corps in the Republic of Macedonia.

Traditionally, the Tikvesh Grape Harvest has been organized since 1964 and represents an opportunity for Kavadarci to present the tradition of breeding vines, to produce the best wine and brandy from this region. This event, which is also a commercial, tourist and cultural manifestation, coincides with the celebration of the liberation day of Kavadarci on September 7th.

Today, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received in a farewell visit the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Oleg Shcherbak.

At the meeting, the President of the Republic of Macedonia thanked Ambassador Shcherbak for his dedication so far in deepening the cooperation and the overall bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Russian Federation.

President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the continued support of the Russian Federation and stressed that, in the spirit of tradition and friendship, he expects the relations between the two countries to be strengthened and promoted in the future.

The Macedonian President thanked Ambassador Shcherbak for the long-term diplomatic engagement and expressed satisfaction with the political dialogue between the Republic of Macedonia and the Russian Federation and the intensified visits and contacts at all levels in the past period.

President Ivanov welcomed the moving of the cooperation between the two countries in the field of economy and the increased presence of Russian companies in the Republic of Macedonia and emphasized the readiness of the Republic of Macedonia for further building partnership relations with the Russian Federation in the field of economy and trade.

The two interlocutors also exchanged views on the current political situation in the Republic of Macedonia and recent developments in the region and Europe.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, yesterday in Struga, presented the certificates to the participants of the School for Young Leaders, which was held at his initiative for the ninth time, in the period August 20-31.

President Ivanov told the young leaders that the school aims to encourage self-esteem among young people, who should never give up on what they want, and never have doubt in themselves.

"This is your chance not to repeat someone else's mistakes, but to skip them and find solutions in your life, because the essence of life is every time, from every challenge to get richer with new experiences, new friendships and new ways of solving the challenges that exist. Your whole life will be filled with challenges, with new demands, needs, but every time, there is a solution, if there is a desire to reach a solution", President Ivanov said.

At the 9th President Ivanov's School of Young Leaders, 40 young people and thirty lecturers from Macedonia, Europe and the world took part.

The program of this year's School for Young Leaders focused on best practices and knowledge for development of eco-systems for encouraging start-ups, small and medium enterprises, as well as business research and innovation in general.

Among the lecturers at this year's School for Young Leaders were: Mr. Valdis Zatlers, former President of the Republic of Latvia, Mr. David Goldsmith, one of the leading experts in business management and leadership, Ozgur Tort, Chief Executive Officer of MIGROS Group, Stefan Peter, President of the Executive Board of EVN Macedonia, Ms. Pinar Ayvaz Arikan, General Director of Turkish Airlines in Skopje, Mr. Sani Sener, Executive Director of TAV Airports, Mr. Bybars Altuntas, President of the World Business Angels Investment Forum, David Beckett, TEDx Coach, Ms. Snezana Zivcevska - Stalpers, Project Manager at IBM. Lectures were given by other prominent individuals, leaders of successful companies, and representatives of established institutions from Macedonia, Europe and the world.

Over the past nine years participated 360 young people and over 200 renowned lecturers, including the former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, the former presidents of the Czech Republic and Latvia, Mr. Vaclav Klaus and Ms. Vaira Vike - Freiberga, the former presidents of Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania, Mr. Boris Tadic, Mr. Georgi Prvanov, Mr. Petar Stoyanov, Mr. Bamir Topi and Mr. Recep Meidani, the former vice president of the European Commission and former foreign minister of Italy, Franco Frattini, the Presidents of the World and European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Mr. Ivo Slaus and Mr. Felix Unger, as well as a number of ambassadors, European Union officials, directors of international institutes and successful business companies and professors from renowned world universities.

The School for Young Leaders was declared the best socially responsible project in Europe for 2017 by the World Business Angels Forum.

The participants of the previous schools are organized in the Alumni Association - ISLAA, registered as a separate association, which, through seminars, panel discussions, lectures and participation in youth events, enables the continuation of the development of their knowledge and skills.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, and his wife, Ms. Maja Ivanova, received today, in Villa Biljana in Ohrid, Marko Pejcinoski, the boy who swam the Ohrid Lake.

At the meeting with the young Marko, President Ivanov said that this heroic act deserves great attention and respect and is a positive example and motive for all young and talented people.

- At the age of twelve, Marko is a European and world champion who showed extraordinary courage, dedication and perseverance, typical for top athletes. You are our pride. I wish you many future sports achievements that will make the Republic of Macedonia proud, President Ivanov said.
Marko thanked for the support of the Macedonian President and said that thanks to the faith in God and the support of his family he managed to swim 25 kilometers, despite the bad weather conditions.

Congratulating Marko on the remarkable achievement, the Macedonian President said that we should all support him unconditionally and help his further sports development.

On the occasion of the great Christian holiday, Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, with his wife, Ms. Maja Ivanova, and his son Ivan Ivanov, attended the great gathering in the church Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God in the village of Skrebatno, municipality of Ohrid.

President Ivanov congratulated the great Christian holiday to the numerous believers present there and wished them good health, joy and happiness.