It depends on us whether we will preserve the decision from the first referendum on the Republic of Macedonia to be what we are or we will cease to exist as a nation legally and allow someone else to interpret our past and take away our future, said the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, during his visit to the Macedonian community in New Jersey.

"I want to be clear. The ultimate responsibility is in the Macedonian citizens. Because, we will live in a kind of Macedonia that we will build. It depends on us whether we will preserve the decision from the first referendum on the Republic of Macedonia to be what we are and never refrain from saying that we are Macedonians, that our ancestors were Macedonians. Or, it will be decided to annul the decision of the previous referendum of September 8, 1991. Whether we will legally cease to exist as a nation and allow someone else to interpret our past and take away our future", President Ivanov said, who visited the Macedonian Orthodox Church "St. Cyril and Methodius" in Cider Grove, New Jersey.

The Macedonian President reiterated his stance that he will not vote in the scheduled referendum on September 30th.

President Ivanov begins his participation in the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations in New York today. President Ivanov is scheduled to address the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 27th.