The President of the Republic of Macedonia and Supreme Commander of Armed Forces of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today in the Monastery "St. Joakim Osogovski" near Kriva Palanka, attended the memorial service for the fallen defenders of the Republic of Macedonia in the 2001 conflict and the May 2015 events in Kumanovo.

In his speech, President Ivanov stressed that the event is held before the great Christian holiday, Forgiveness, which, in the spirit of Christianity and our ancestors, teaches us to forgive. We must forgive, President Ivanov said, but not forget the reason why these young people gave their lives for.

"We are here to pay tribute to the defenders, but also to their loved ones, because grief should be shared, and to tell them that their sacrifice and deeds will not be forgotten. There are invalids among us, injured, and I say, wounds are healed, but the wounds of the soul never. Therefore, this event will become a tradition so that all future young generations know that what lives were given for what we have today", the Macedonian President said.

Johan Tarculovski said that today's gathering is a tribute to all defenders and a message to entire Macedonia that those sacrifices were not in vain.
We think of the homeland, there are Macedonians honest patriots, who will fight till the last drop of blood for this country to remain what it is, because our ancestors left it for us in legacy and it is our honor and responsibility to defend the homeland. It is no policy, it is neither VMRO nor SDSM, this is pure defense of the homeland. No one can deny the will of the people, and people want a unitary state with one and only language, Macedonian", Tarchlulovski said.

The memorial service officiated by the representative of the Kriva Palanka archbishopric, Aleksandar Smiljkov, was attended by the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Metodi Velickovski, Sladjana Mitovska, Member of Parliament, the Mayor of Kriva Palanka, Arsenco Aleksovski, interior ministry officials, political parties , disabled veterans of the 2001 conflict, family members and many citizens.

The event is organized by the Association of Disabled Veterans, "Defender 2001", but was attended by members of all associations of defenders in the country.

In the 2001 conflict, 135 defenders were killed, and in the events of May 2015 in Kumanovo eight defenders laid their lives for the motherland.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, visited today Demir Kapija where he, on the occasion of marking the Orthodox feast of St. Trifun, attended the traditional celebration and the symbolic pruning of the vines.

Addressing the participants and congratulating them the religious feast of St. Trifun, President Ivanov wished the winegrowers and winemakers a fruitful year.

"In the spirit of our tradition, St. Trifun is the day then the winegrowers prune their vineyards and wish for a fruitful year, all the work and all the trouble to be awarded in the autumn by collecting the grapes. Therefore, I wish fruitful year to all winegrowers and quality to winemakers. I wish our grapes and our wine to be more present both at the domestic and foreign markets. I wish more tourists to come and visit our wineries and wine tourism to flourish in Macedonia", President Ivanov said.

The Mayor of Demir Kapija, Trajce Dimitriev, stressed that the interest in the event which marks the feast of St. Trifun constantly grows.

"Demir Kapija is a small but beautiful place, surrounded by beautiful nature and is a real attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists. In recent years, the number of tourists and visitors to our city is evidently increased. In this regard, the municipality of Demir Kapija tirelessly and continuously works on projects to improve the city's infrastructure and projects that contribute to the local and economic development of our municipality. The implementation of such big projects would not be possible without the support of our donors, including the significant support we receive from the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the European funds", Mayor Dimitriev said.

The celebration of the feast of St. Trifun was also addressed by the EU Ambassador Samuel Zbogar.

"The Mayor mentioned a few projects implement jointly by the European Union and the municipality. I have just visited the section of the highway to be ready this year. We are also working on the reconstruction of the municipal building. Hence, there are many projects we are working on together. We appreciate highly the cooperation with the municipality and look forward to the implementation of all future projects. The EU is here for you", Ambassador Zbogar said.

The celebration in Demir Kapija was also attended by the Ambassador of China to Macedonia, Yin Lixian.

In the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Macedonia, today, a ceremonial change of the national flag was held.

The ceremony was attended by students from the elementary school "Naum Naumovski-Borce" from the Municipality of Gazi Baba, students from the elementary school "Rajko Zinzifov" from Dracevo and children from the Scout Squad "Jadran" from Skopje.

The change of the national flag of the Republic of Macedonia in the Cabinet of the President was performed by the Guard Unit of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia.

The ceremony of changing the national flag is aimed at raising the sense and respect for the flag of the Republic of Macedonia as a sign and symbol of the statehood of our country.

 

Diplomatic corps representatives, military attaches, representatives of international organizations, honorary consuls in the Republic of Macedonia, as part of the traditional reception on the occasion of the New Year holidays hosted by the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today visited the municipality of Vevcani.
 

During the visit of the municipality, the diplomats visited the Vevcani springs and the church “St. Nikola” as part of the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Drimkol region.
 

“This is a very good and fruitful initiative of the President to organize such annual meetings outside the capital. For us, this is an opportunity to visit other places, cities in the country. I am here as ambassador for two years and it is my first time to visit Vevcani, which only confirms that in this way we have an opportunity to get to know more about the beauties of Macedonia and that such activities are aimed at further promotion of the tourism potentials of Macedonia”, said Mr. Jacek Multanowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Macedonia.
 

According to the Head of the EU Mission to Skopje, Mr. Samuel Zbogar, this is an excellent initiative of President Ivanov for such meetings outside Skopje.
 

“In a way it makes us get out of the capital and see the country, to get to know it better and love it. Not only have we an opportunity to walk around and see the beauty of Vevcani, the cultural and historical heritage, but also to meet and talk to our colleagues in a little more relaxed atmosphere, which certainly helps us in improving our relations in the context of our duties here”, Zbogar said.
 

Mayor Mr. Cvetomir Ugrinoski expressed satisfaction that this year President Ivanov and the diplomats visited Vevcani. He noted that this is a great opportunity the guests to learn about the development prospects of the municipality in the area of ​​tourism.
 

In the past years, besides Struga, the diplomatic reception was hosted in Krusevo, Gevgelija, Berovo and Bitola.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the occasion of St. Sava, received today the Vice President of the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Veroljub Arsic, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Macedonia, Ms. Dusanka Divjak - Tomic and representatives of the Serbian community in the Republic of Macedonia.


Extending congratulations on the occasion of the holiday of St. Sava, the Macedonian President said that the Republic of Macedonia is an example in this region of respect and acceptance of ethnic communities, including the Serbian. He underlined that Macedonia and Serbia have a long historical and cultural tradition that cannot be destroyed due to divergent views on an issue and that different views and opinions should be resolved through dialogue.


The representatives of the Serbian community in the Republic of Macedonia expressed gratitude for the reception and for the continued support and cooperation with the state institutions in the Republic of Macedonia.


The meeting concluded that the relations between Macedonia and Serbia will be further fostered, in the spirit of good neighborly relations and close cooperation between the two nations.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, and his wife, Ms. Maja Ivanova, attended today the celebration of the great Christian holiday - Epiphany in Veles.

Among the 49 Orthodox believers who entered today the waters of the river of Vardar in Veles, the 21-year-old Vlatko Stojanov caught the cross.

The sacred act was performed by Metropolitan Agafangel in the presence of the numerous clergy and Orthodox believers and citizens of Veles.

Vlatko Stojanov, who said that it was his first time participating in the act of capturing the Holy Cross, received a gift by President Ivanov – a Macedonian cross with Ohrid ruby. Metropolitan Agafangel awarded him with a golden cross.

President Ivanov and his wife Ms. Maja Ivanova attended the morning service in the church "Assumption of Virgin Mary", held by Metropolitan Agathangel and afterwards they joined the procession from the church "Assumption of Virgin Mary" to the pedestrian bridge on the Vardar River, where they attended the act of consecration of the waters of Vardar River and the ceremony of the laying of the Holy Cross.