On the occasion of the religious holiday Eid al-Adha, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent a congratulation note to the Head of the Islamic Religious Community, Reis-ul-ulema Hadzi Sulejman efendi Rexhepi, and to all citizens of Islamic faith in the Republic of Macedonia.

Dear Reis-ul-ulema Hadzi Sulejman efendi Rexhepi,

Let me congratulate you personally, the members of the Riyaset, mufti, imams and all citizens of Islamic faith in the Republic of Macedonia, the holiday Eid al-Adha.

Great religious holidays are moments when we emphasize the values of communion and respect. Macedonia is a country with a centuries-old tradition of coexistence between different religious communities.

Respecting religious differences, we send a strong message of building coexistence and mutual understanding, because only united and together will we succeed in building a brighter future for all the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.

In the spirit of these values, I congratulate and wish you personal happiness and spiritual peace. I wish all the members of Islamic faith in the country well-being and prosperity.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today in a farewell meeting the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Mr. Ivan Velikov Petkov.

At the meeting, the two interlocutors exchanged views on the overall bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria. President Ivanov stressed the interest of the Republic of Macedonia for further improvement of the overall relations and political dialogue with the Republic of Bulgaria.

President Ivanov voiced expectation that the Republic of Bulgaria will continue to be a strong supporter and partner of the Macedonian integration in the European Union and NATO.

President Ivanov thanked Ambassador Petkov for his overall engagement and personal contribution to the promotion of the relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria, and wished him success in his further engagements.

We strongly reject the allegations in the statement of Mr. Kostadin Kostadinov, MP of SDSM, which we consider to be big lies and manipulation, aimed at defocusing the public.

It is clear and expected that the political party SDSM, through such manipulations, is trying to put pressure on President Ivanov, because of his policies and firm positions in defending the dignity of the Macedonian people and the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, related to the non-acceptance of the harmful agreement with Greece.

The reaction of the Macedonian people yesterday showed precisely the stance towards the devastating policy led by this government pertaining to the Republic of Macedonia. The truth hurts, all the more so that the leadership of SDSM is aware of the betrayal to the Macedonian people.

President Ivanov has never incited interfaith and international hatred. On the contrary, the unity and togetherness that have been built for decades have now been put into danger, precisely because of the harmful policies and decisions of this government.

Whether President Ivanov is worthy of the function he performs is not in the competence of the political parties, but in the citizens who elected him and showed their attitude at the celebration of Ilinden.

President Ivanov, as always, in the future, will be guided exclusively by the state interest and the interest of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, has never supported incidents and hate speech.

We regret that the government delegation was hissed loudly at the celebration of the holiday Ilinden on Mechkin Kamen in Krushevo and believe that in no way was it caused by the messages sent by President Ivanov.

The Government of the Republic of Macedonia should ask itself why the Macedonian people react in this way to the government officials and take responsibility why the nation is divided and spreads hate speech towards the state institutions and opponents.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the occasion of August 2nd 2018 - the National holiday of the Republic of Macedonia, pardoned 15 convicted persons, who are partially exempt from further execution of their imprisonment sentence