The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, within the 6th Global Baku Forum, met with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Binali Yildirim.

The meeting with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, discussed the bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Azerbaijan with an emphasis on exploiting the economic potential. A joint statement by President Ivanov and President Aliyev was that the relations between the countries, characterized by friendship, continuous dialogue and understanding, need to be expanded into specific areas of mutual interest.

President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the continuing political dialogue and high-level meetings, stressing that it is necessary to strengthen them further in the field of economic cooperation. In this context, the Macedonian President said that the Republic of Macedonia is committed to increasing the trade through concrete opportunities for developing the cooperation and is available for Azerbaijani direct investment in the Macedonian economy through gas and energy projects. For this purpose, President Ivanov stressed, it is necessary to intensify the contacts between the government representatives and the business communities from both countries.

The meeting with the Moldovan President Mr. Igor Dodon exchanged views on the overall relations between Macedonia and Moldova and on the current situation and challenges in the region of Southeast Europe. President Ivanov stressed that there are numerous potentials for cooperation, which should be used jointly in order to increase the economic cooperation and to fully utilize the economic opportunities of both countries. The two presidents assessed that the relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Moldova are characterized by mutual friendship and respect.

At the meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Binali Yildirim, the Macedonian President thanked for the hospitality shown during the official visit to the Republic of Turkey and expressed gratitude for the principle support for the use of the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia and the membership of Macedonia in NATO. "Macedonia's invitation to NATO will contribute to the long-term stability and security of the region", President Ivanov said. Prime Minister Yildirim said that it is a benefit for Turkey to have a great friend like Macedonia, and that his country will continue to strongly support Macedonia on our Euro-Atlantic path, especially ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in July. The two interlocutors expressed support for further strengthening of the economic cooperation, through the increase of investments and cooperation between the business communities of the two countries.

President Ivanov is paying a working visit to Azerbaijan on the occasion of his participation at the 6th Global Baku Forum, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center. The topic of this year's Global Baku Forum is "Bridging Gaps to Creatw Inclusive Societies".