Today, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received Ambassador Clemens Koja, the new Head of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Macedonia.

President Ivanov congratulated Ambassador Koja on his appointment as Head of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Macedonia, wishing him success in his work.

At the meeting, President Ivanov stressed that the Republic of Macedonia appreciates the role of the OSCE and the support it gives to the Macedonian authorities in several spheres - rule of law, electoral process and legislation, support in areas such as police and judiciary, promotion of interethnic relations and coexistence, in the sphere of media and freedom of expression.

In that direction, the Macedonian President expressed expectation that the Republic of Macedonia will continue the cooperation with the OSCE in the future in order to support the reform processes.

The meeting also discussed the current political situation in the country and the activities of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission on the eve of the upcoming referendum. The Macedonian President expressed expectation that the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission will professionally carry out its task within its strictly defined mandate.