The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today in Bitola had a meeting with Mr. Christian Thimonier, Ambassador of the French Republic to the Republic of Macedonia and visited the French Alliance in Bitola. The visit and the meeting were implemented in the wake of the participation of President Ivanov at the 16th Summit of La Francophonie, which will take place on November 26 to 27 in Madagascar.

The Republic of Macedonia is a full member of the International Organization of La Francophonie since 2006, and the participation of President Ivanov at the 16th Francophonie Summit will be the first participation of the Republic of Macedonia at the level of President since its full membership in the Organization.

After the meeting, the French Ambassador Thimonier said that it was his great honor to accompany the President of the Republic of Macedonia on his visit of the French Alliance in Bitola and welcomed the decision of President Ivanov to participate in the Francophonie Summit.

"The President of the Republic of Macedonia expressed particular interest in the French language regarding his upcoming participation in the Francophonie Summit, which will be held in Madagascar in the presence of many heads of state and government and with this activity expressed support to learning the French language in Macedonia", Ambassador Thimonier said. He added that openness to learning French is a real passport to the European Union and to the whole world. "It is very important for Macedonia to find its place in all international bodies; Macedonia is full-fledged  member along with 57 other countries of the international organization of the Francophonie. France wants to help Macedonia the Macedonian voice to be heard",Ambassador Thimonier said.

At the meeting they exchanged views on the overall bilateral relations between the two countries, and expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamics in their development.

President Ivanov and Ambassador Thimonier exchanged views and information on the current political and economic situation in the Republic of Macedonia, on the situation in the region from the aspect of the migrant crisis and security challenges.

In terms of the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Republic of Macedonia, President Ivanov expressed hope that France would help Macedonia progress in EU and NATO. The Macedonian President expressed hope that the early parliamentary elections will go smoothly but will not lead to sustainable political stability without unblocking of the EU integration.

President Ivanov welcomed the engagement of France in the Brdo-Brijuni Process and expressed satisfaction with the success of the Summit in Paris, dedicated to the Balkans.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today in Bitola met with Ms. Marijana Petir, MEP from the Republic of Croatia, which resides in the Republic of Macedonia on the occasion of her participation at the 4th World Conference on Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations.

At the meeting, they exchanged views on the latest developments in the Republic of Macedonia, the region and the European Union. The talks considered the possibilities for European and Euro-Atlantic prospects of the Republic of Macedonia in the context of the current challenges facing the EU and the region, especially in terms of the migrant crisis and security threats. President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the continued support of the European Parliament to the Republic of Macedonia and the overall cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Croatia at bilateral and regional level.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, visited today Veles, where he was informed about the overall development of the municipality, the economic situation, as well as the future plans and projects for further development.

The meeting welcomed the initiative to recreate the idea for implementation of the project in order to make the river Vardar navigable, as well as the regional project to link the rivers Vardar, Morava and Danube with the Aegean Sea. In this context, the benefits and importance of this project for the municipality of Veles were discussed. President Ivanov said that the project will involve opening new opportunities for economies, new investment and jobs. Furthermore, the construction of this canal, the Macedonian President added, will have great significance for the development of agriculture, improvement of the hydrological situation, creation of renewable energy sources, development of tourism, which is particularly important for the cities through which the river Vardar flows.

At the meeting with the Mayor of Veles, Mr. Slavcho Chadiev, President Ivanov was informed about the ongoing projects in the municipality of Veles aimed at improving the road infrastructure, as well as the activities aimed at improving the overall conditions for the citizens. The Mayor of Veles also informed President Ivanov with the economic potential and industrial capacity in the municipality.

The Mayor of Veles expressed satisfaction with the visit of President Ivanov and thanked for the overall support of President Ivanov and his commitment to improving the overall climate and creating new opportunities for local development and prosperity.

As part of the visit to Veles, President Ivanov visited the factory of the German group "Marquardt", the biggest foreign investment in the industrial zone Karaslari, where he was introduced with the production capacities, business plans and development goals of the factory.

The Macedonian President visited in Veles the headquarters of the Vardar diocese, where he met with Metropolitan Agatangel.
 

The Macedonian-Serbian Business Club is expected to be established early next year, announced the Chambers of Commerce of Macedonia and Serbia during the business forum in Belgrade where there were direct meetings between representatives of about hundred companies from both countries. Businessmen received support for the initiative from the Presidents of Macedonia and Serbia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov and Mr. Tomislav Nikolic.

"It is joint interest the two countries and economies to be connected in infrastructure to enable better living standards for the citizens and better economic conditions for the business communities", the Macedonian President said in his address to the forum.

Macedonia, President Ivanov said, in the latest World Bank Report, Doing Business 2017, is ranked 10th and called the Serbian businessmen to invest in our country, but also to partner with Macedonian companies for joint ventures in third countries.

He informed the businessmen that he and his Serbian counterpart agreed on a project to connect the rivers Vardar, Morava and Danube with the Aegean Sea. With the construction of the canal, more than 1,200 km waterway is shortened.

Trade between the two countries is at a satisfactory level, the Serbian President Nikolic said, but there is room for its increase by intensifying the economic cooperation.

Therefore, I urge you, the businessmen not to see Serbia and Macedonia just as markets for your products and services, but also as an opportunity for sector partnerships that will be equally competitive at the regional and distant markets", President Nikolic said. As great cooperation potential he mentioned the road infrastructure, energy, agriculture and tourism.

Annually, in average, the trade exchange between Macedonia and Serbia is about 700 million US Dollars, and in the first six months of this year it was around 340 million US Dollars.

"The interest of the business of Macedonia is Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania to become economic leaders, since Macedonia will go forward along. The realization of this is in your hands; you need to encourage economic development, and in the hands of the politicians who would make it possible", said before the two Presidents, the President of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia, Branko Azeski.

According to him, the Balkans today implements a project that can be said to be a success story, and it is the Berlin process from several aspects. - Because it has a powerful sponsor, it is the German Chancellor, as the most powerful politician in Europe. Second, because the process is supported by the four most powerful countries in Europe. Third, because it has a clear goal, which is the infrastructure of the Balkans. And fourth, because it has a clearly defined financier – the European Union funds. I invite you as companies to see your interest in it, Azeski said.

Over the next year, it is expected the highway to Macedonia to be completed and from there to Greece, but Azeski stressed we will not solve the problems with it. "The queues of trucks and vehicles will remain at the borders. Let's use this time to overcome all non-tariff barriers and problems that exist on the border to more quickly and successfully accomplish the businesses", Azeski said, who asked for harmonization of legislation and accelerated flow of goods and services.

President of the Economic Company of Serbia, Marko Chadezh, deems it is necessary to support the idea of ​​a joint presentation of companies of the two countries on third markets and creation of joint companies. "Only thus we can be much stronger and competitive with major international companies and conquer other markets", Chadezh said.

The Macedonian President Ivanov is paying a working visit to Serbia as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the settlement of Macedonians in Vojvodina. He met with his host, President Nikolic.
 

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today met with Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, during his working visit to the Republic of Serbia, within the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the settlement of Macedonians in Vojvodina

President Ivanov and Prime Minister Vucic expressed satisfaction with the achieved level of overall cooperation and the exchange of mutual visits during the period when we mark 20 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and when the two countries are celebrating significant anniversaries, adding that they give impulse to the societies to cooperate and contribute in creating a positive climate in the mutual relations.

At the meeting, they exchanged information on the political and economic situation, as well as on the current situation in the region.

In the area of ​​economic cooperation, they expressed willingness to further deepen the cooperation, to examine the possibilities for joint appearance on third markets, joint tourist offer and welcomed the initiative and expressed support for organizing business forum and establishment of Macedonian - Serbian Business Club. Commitment to infrastructure projects will help increase the trade volume. The completion of Corridor 10, the project Danube-Morava-Vardar, were the topics discussed.

In terms of the migrant crisis and security challenges, it was agreed the cooperation to continue, to apply a joint approach to the EU in case of a new migrant wave and more intensive cooperation of the security services.

President Ivanov at the meeting called to form working groups as soon as possible and to hold expert talks on the implementation of the bilateral agreement on protection of the cultural and historical monuments, and the Joint Commission for the implementation of contractual obligations of the agreement on protection of the Macedonian minority in Serbia and the Serbian minority in Macedonia, which is in effect since 2005.

The Macedonian President received assurances from Prime Minister Vucic that the working groups and the joint commission will soon be formed to implement the agreements, and that after the elections the second joint session of the two governments will be held.

The commitment on infrastructure projects will help increase the trade volume. A discussion topic at the meeting was also the completion of Corridor 10 and the project Vardar-Morava-Danube.

The initiative for establishing Macedonian - Serbian business forum was presented at the Macedonian - Serbian Business Forum in Belgrade organized by the Economic Chamber of Macedonia and the Economic Chamber of Serbia, supported by the presidents of Macedonia and Serbia.

The business forum includes around hundred companies from Macedonia and Serbia, and the main message was that the joint performance in third countries will increase the chances for our companies.

Annually, the average trade exchange between Macedonia and Serbia is about 700 million US Dollars, and in the first six months of this year it was around 340 million US dollars.
 

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, as of today, is in a three-day working visit to Belgrade and Pancevo, on the occasion of marking the anniversary "70 years from the settlement of Macedonians in Vojvodina".

Macedonia and Serbia in the past 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, managed to build sincere friendly relations and continuous and excellent political dialogue, as well as shared interests and common efforts to promote the cooperation in all areas, President Ivanov said today after the meeting with the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic.

The Serbian President pointed out that the meeting with President Ivanov concluded that the political relations between Serbia and Macedonia are very good and that in this period of various challenges, we have demonstrated that through collaboration and dialogue we can prevent and overcome all difficulties.

Presidents Ivanov and Nikolic at the meeting renewed the issue of concluding a bilateral agreement on the protection and use of historical monuments and landmarks of the territories of both countries. Ivanov, as he said, believes that the conclusion of such an agreement would be of mutual interest and expects both governments to immediately begin work to form working groups in order to harmonize it.

The region where there is too much history, according to the President, needs mutual respect, dialogue and proactive approach. "We need to focus on the future, regardless of the open and different positions on some issues", President Ivanov said.

The two presidents discussed the latest developments in the region, the migrant crisis, the common security challenges, as well as the European perspectives of the two countries.

President Ivanov announced the initiative to revive the project Danube-Morava-Vardar, which is also in the interest of our neighbor Greece.
President Nikolic, however, said that he asked the Macedonian President for Macedonia's support to Serbia by voting against Kosovo's membership in UNESCO.

The Macedonian President in Belgrade is to meet with the Serbian Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic.

Within the working visit, late this afternoon, a Macedonian-Serbian business forum will be held which will bring together about twenty Macedonian companies from the pharmaceutical, food, metal, construction industry, and from the field of information technology, graphic industries and transport services. The opening of the business forum in Belgrade will be addressed by the presidents Ivanov and Nikolic, as well as by the Presidents of the Chambers of Commerce of Macedonia and Serbia.

Within the central ceremony marking the jubilee "70 years from the settlement of Macedonians in Vojvodina", in Pancevo on Sunday, a Ceremony will be held which will be addressed by both presidents Ivanov and Nikolic.