The European idea, despite all the developments in the Balkans, is still an idea with huge transformative power. There is no other idea in the Balkans which can force the Balkan countries to voluntarily change, President Gjorge Ivanov said today at the 25th European Forum in Krynica Zdroj, the Republic of Poland, at the session titled "Towards a Resilient Europe: Strategies for the Future".
In a crisis, as President Ivanov said, the European Union does not work because it cannot make decisions. - In a crisis, when you cannot reach decisions, the crisis is growing and causing huge damage, President Ivanov added.
- We, as the other Balkan countries, want Europe, not to reach it at this point, but to travel to it. More important is our way to it than the mere membership therein, because all European standards and principles are adopted when negotiations start. Chapter by chapter, as a country, we would become more Europeanized. All Balkan countries need to Europeanize, to have European standards, criteria and principles, President Ivanov said.
We showed, the Macedonian President stressed, that in time of the greatest economic crisis Macedonia copes well economically, moreover, we were the only country with highest growth during the economic crisis.
One of the topics of the session, which was attended by the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, and the Croatian President, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, was the migrant crisis. Speaking on this topic, President Ivanov said that the administration and police in Macedonia every month spends more than a million Euros to provide water, food and protection for the migrants, and added that the EU has allocated so far 90 thousand Euros.
According to President Ivanov, valid for this period is the thought of Benjamin Franklin who said "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately". – We are experiencing it right now - selfishness creates a completely different perception of the others and a completely different perception for the Islam and for the refugees and migrants, President Ivanov said.
As people living on the continent of Europe, President Ivanov said, that we should be aware that the biggest confirmation that the EU deserves the Nobel Peace Prize are the refugees. - Each of them says is coming to Europe because of peace, said the Macedonian President.
The presidents of Poland and Croatia said at the panel that the EU enlargement must continue, because, according to them, it will strengthen Europe economically.
President Ivanov, during the forum, will held a bilateral meeting with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, which is expected to tackle the bilateral relations between the two countries, the cooperation in the sphere of defence and security, the economic and educational cooperation, and the upcoming NATO Summit in 2016 in Poland in the context of the opportunities to unblock Macedonia's membership, the situation in SEE and the migrant crisis.
On the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Macedonia, a Macedonian evening will be organized in Krynica Zdroj, which will present the investment opportunities in Macedonia.
The Head of the Macedonian state will participate tomorrow in the Forum of Young Leaders' Session "Leaders of Tomorrow - What Leaders Europe Needs in the 21st Century".
The focus of this year's Economic Forum is the economic and political situation in Europe and the world, energy security and innovation.
The Economic Forum, which is organized for 25 consecutive years, is the biggest and the best renowned conference in Central and Eastern Europe with a focus on the economy and politics in this part of the continent. The aim of this initiative is to create a favorable climate for development of political and economic cooperation in Europe.
The participants of the Forum were informed by President Ivanov of the International School for Young Leaders, which is being organized, upon his initiative, for six consecutive years in Ohrid.
Both interlocutors discussed the cooperation in other areas.
