Distinguished Leaders of the Brdo-Brijuni Process,
Dear Friends,

As President of the Republic of Macedonia, I want to thank you for the invitation to take part in the Brdo-Brijuni Process Leaders' Meeting in Tirana. Due to the very short period before the end of my presidential term and the inauguration of the new President of the Republic of Macedonia, unfortunately I cannot participate in this very important gathering.

I gladly remember last year's Brdo-Brijuni Process meeting in Skopje. Once again I sincerely thank you for your active participation and ongoing fruitful cooperation. I have no doubt that this year's meeting in Tirana will be another concrete step on our common European path. I am confident that my friend, the President of the Republic of Albania, H.E. Mr. Ilir Meta, will be a flawless host.

The Brdo-Brijuni process has reaffirmed the importance of regional cooperation. The success of this Process is based on sincere and open dialogue, tailor-made and real projects, as well as on the unwavering faith of our countries in the European idea. Even in times when our countries and our region faced serious challenges that could impair the stability of the region, we, the Leaders of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, managed to continue the cooperation and thus prevented possible new misunderstandings. With that, we showed that we have the capacity for synergy.

In the past ten years as President and seven years as an active participant in the Brdo-Brijuni Process, I often thought about the future of our regional cooperation, and I came to two conclusions that I would like to briefly share with you.
First, the stability and prosperity of our region depends on the stability of each of our countries. Each chain is as strong as its weakest link. We must not allow any of our countries to become a weak link in the chain of stability and security of Southeast Europe.

Second, the experience of numerous regional initiatives and processes shows that a process is as successful as it can be transformed and aligned with the new needs and realities. Hence, my vision for Brdo-Brijuni is that this process will experience an authentic transformation. I do not believe that the process will diminish or cease after the integration of all countries of the Western Balkans into the European Union. On the contrary, I believe that with joint efforts and political will we can contribute the Process to experience metamorphosis and become a system of regional cooperation through which our countries can represent our regional interests within the European Union.

As President of the Republic of Macedonia I am grateful for the vision and initiative of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, H.E. Mr. Borut Pahor, and the President of the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Ms. Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic. I thank them that as EU member states they continuously support the process of integration of the Western Balkans. I believe that this support will continue in the upcoming period. This is a real example of assistance and solidarity provided by member states to candidate and aspirant countries for membership in the European Union.

At the same time, we must mention the contribution of the special guests who participated in our Process. Their Excellencies, Mr. Francois Hollande, Ms. Angela Merkel, Mr. Heinz Fischer, Mr. Joseph Biden, Mr. Sergio Matarrela, Mr. Frank Walter Steinmeier, Mr. Boyko Borissov and Mr. Donald Tusk had a great part in our joint success. I believe that the Brdo-Brijuni Process did not only help them to better understand our region, but also to have a clearer view of all the efforts our countries make in the field of European integration. Through the Process, we have shown that we have done what many regarded as an impossible mission for our region - on the regional political scene, we showed responsibility, openness and courage to speak honestly about the most difficult issues and to seek sustainable solutions jointly.

This initiative not only brought us closer to the European Union but also showed that when we are united, we can succeed in the field of infrastructure, security and economic connectivity.

In the end, I want to reiterate my wishes for a successful event. I hope that as you accepted me in this process with generosity, you will accept the same way my successor with whom you will continue to cooperate in the future.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov