Bosnian authorities to help in closing the investigation on the death of the former President of the Republic of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, urged today in Sarajevo who is in official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

President Ivanov urged the competent authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to help find out the truth of Trajkovski’s death, to approve the professional expertise of the Commission of the Republic of Macedonia and to take all the necessary measures to close the investigation.

“We also opened the pending issue regarding the death of our former President Trajkovski for a final institutional closure, to avoid further speculation,” said at the press conference after the meeting with his host, the President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegovic.

President Izetbegovic, on his turn, said that the Bosnian authorities would help in every possible way this huge investigation to come to an end.

In the focus of the talks today in Sarajevo was also the need to intensify economic cooperation between the two countries, namely by signing a number of bilateral agreements, including an agreement on double taxation evasion. In this, regard, today the Agreement on Cooperation in the field of health and medical sciences was signed.

President Ivanov, at the meeting, reaffirmed the need of the project "Adriatic-Ionian highway" and its connection with Corridors 8 and 10. He appealed that this project should be the highest priority in the agenda of the two countries.

In order to promote economic ties, President Ivanov and Izetbegovic expressed support for the participation of Macedonian companies at the May Business Forum, scheduled for next year in Sarajevo.

In terms of the common strategic goal, the EU and NATO membership, the Macedonian President said that Macedonia offer its assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of the European integration processes by signing agreements and sharing of experiences.

The meeting in Sarajevo once again reaffirmed that Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have friendly relations and that there are no outstanding issues.

Asked about the letter of the Greek Foreign Minister, Dimitris Avramopoulos, to the Macedonian Foreign Minister, Nikola Poposki, President Ivanov said that "Macedonia and Greece have signed a bilateral agreement in 1995 (the Interim Accord) and it should be respected".

Regarding tomorrow's confidence vote of the government in Skopje, the Head of state said that such a process is normal in a democracy and it always makes the coalition partners think of their future actions.

„We, in the Balkans, are 20 years in a period of independence and creation of democratic institutions. We have gone through several election cycles so far and we have stable institutions. Pertaining to the issue of confidence vote of government, we need to get used to, as the Western democracies, that the opposition is entitled, at every occasion, to control the government. Since we remember the negative past experience in the Balkans and the population fears of crisis,“ the Head of state said.

The Macedonian President, as part of his visit, met with the members of the College of the two chambers of the Parliament and with the President of the Council of Ministers, Vjekoslav Bevanda.

During the official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, President Ivanov visited the EUFOR base in Butmir where he laid wreath at the memorial of the fallen members of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia and had a meeting with the medical team "Althea" of the Republic of Macedonia.

Within the Macedonian team, there are 10 medical persons and a military lawyer, assistant legal advisor in the EUFOR command. They awarded President Ivanov with a glass plaque, and extended appreciation for the support that he gives to the members of the Macedonian Army in peacekeeping missions.

The participation of the Macedonian representatives in peacekeeping missions is a confirmation of Republic of Macedonia's commitment for a strong contribution to the common security and defense policy and the European Union's common foreign and security policy, President Ivanov said in the talks he had with the Macedonian peacekeepers.

President Ivanov had a meeting with the EUFOR Commander, General Robert Brieger, and exchanged views on the latest developments in the region.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, before the end of his visit to the United States, on the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly, met with the UN mediator in the Macedonia-Greece name talks, Matthew Nimetz.

Ambassador Nimetz, after the meeting with the Macedonian President in New York, said that the judgment of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, related to the dispute between Macedonia and Greece, is significant, and it should be taken into consideration.

“It is my opinion that the ruling of the International Court of Justice deserves to be considered and observed. I am not an expert on this particular aspect, it does not fall under my mandate, which is mediation between the two countries under the Security Council resolutions and the Interim Accord. However, it is clear that ICJ is one of the key world institutions and its decisions need to be fully respected”, Ambassador Nimetz said after the meeting with President Ivanov.

The mediator in the dispute announced that his next step will be organizing a meeting of the two appointed negotiators, Zoran Jolevski and Adamantios Vassilakis, probably within a month, and he is also thinking to visit the region, when he assumes it is best time for it. Ambassador Nimetz said that in New York, despite with Ivanov, he had a meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, when he received assurances that both sides are ready for talks. He added that Avramopoulos assured him that the extremely difficult financial situation of Greece does not mean that this country does not have the capacity to work to the settlement of the dispute.

He commended on the personal engagement of the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who, after his recent visit to Macedonia, had a telephone conversation with the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, to intensify the talks.

“It is good news for me, because these talks were really slow in the past year out of several reasons. A solution was long to be found; this dispute creates a lot of frustration in the international community and in the region. I know that the UN Secretary General strongly wants this to happen, and issued really strong instructions to see what can be done to bring the two countries closer to a solution”, Matthew Nimetz said.

Тој го истакна и личниот ангажман на генералниот секретар на Обединетите нации, Бан Ки-мун, кој по неодамнешната посета на Македонија телефонски разговарал со грчкиот премиер Андонис Самарас, да се интензивираат разговорите.

„Тоа е добра вест за мене, бидејќи овие разговори навистина беа бавни во изминатата година, од повеќе причини. Решение требаше одамна да се најде, и овој спор создава многу фрустрации во меѓународната заедница и во регионот. Знам дека генералниот секретар на ОН силно сака ова да се случи, и даде навистина силни инструкции да се види што може да се стори за да ги приближиме двете земји,“ изјави Метју Нимиц.

According to President Ivanov, the personal engagement of the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to intensify the talks, is the most significant move in the dispute which resulted from this year's United Nations General Assembly.

"If I compare my participation at the previous three sessions of the General Assembly, I believe this is the most successful one, because it was very comprehensive, starting with the meeting with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, held on his request. The Secretary General presented his views after his visit to Macedonia when he promised personal involvement in overcoming the dispute. I could feel his commitment following the meeting we had in Macedonia", President Ivanov said after his speech in the UN.

The President added that the Secretary General personally instructed his envoy in the dispute, Ambassador Matthew Nimetz to intensify the talks between Macedonia and Greece, and consequently, urged Nimitz to arrange a meeting of the two negotiators in the course of this month.

The Macedonian President said that in the past period, the talks were postponed many times, because the Greek side is trying to avoid deepening of the talks.

"There are constantly setbacks by the Greek side, there will be elections, the economic crisis is the reason for the delay. This issue blocks our strategic goals. It is a burden for us. Greece is not burdened with it. Greece does not feel the need to put this issue on top of its agenda", President Ivanov said.

To settle the name dispute, the President said, it is necessary to restore the dispute within the frameworks set by the Interim Accord and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 817, which provides for the talks to be led on the name difference. According to him, over the years, the scope of this issue was extended to other areas that are not part of the resolution, such as identity, Macedonian language, toponyms, and, lately, historical issues.
 

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York, had a bilateral meeting with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Focal topic was the process for resolving the name issue, whereas President Ivanov stressed that the Republic of Macedonia in the talks always has an active and constructive position and demonstrates commitment to move the talks within the framework provided by the UN.

The Secretary General informed about the conversation he had with the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, regarding the dispute between Macedonia and Greece over the name, and said that through other activities he will induce settlement of the dispute.

“During his visit to Macedonia, he promised that he would personally talk to the Prime Minister of Greece, Samaras, and at this meeting, he informed me about the content of his conversation and was agreed between them. The meeting which was quite comprehensive was an opportunity for sharing information on current events and issues related to the dispute we have with Greece. The Secretary General pledged again to talk with Mr. Nimetz, in order to intensify the debate that lasts for already 19 years. We as a country can not wait another 19 years, to remain engaged in an irrational dispute that is unique in the UN history”, President Ivanov said after the meeting with Ban Ki-moon.

At the meeting, Ivanov reminded that Macedonia’s constructiveness and goodwill is confirmed by the principal judicial body of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice. The Macedonian President pointed out that obligation of Greece in the future is to respect the ruling of the Court and the Interim Accord signed between the two parties.

President Ivanov informed the Secretary General that Macedonia is ready at any moment to talk with Greece, and expects the same from the other party, effectively, not only declaratively.

President Ivanov asked his interlocutor to urge the dispute to be kept exclusively within the framework provided by the United Nations resolutions relating to the dispute, the Interim Accord and with respect for the judgment of the International Court of Justice. The Macedonian President particularly condemned broadening of the dispute with issues that tackle free expression of national identity, language and culture.

"Our side emphasized that it is necessary for Greece to adhere to the framework in which these talks are led, i.e. to respect the resolutions of the United Nations, the Interim Accord and recent judgment of the International Court of Justice. Any deviation from the framework leads to endless talks that may never bring a solution if identity issues are tackled, for which no one in this world talks or if someone identity is denied", President Ivanov said.

The President added that issues of current history are issues for the historians, while Macedonia has the obligation, undertaken before the UN, to discuss the difference over the name with Greece.

At the meeting in New York, President Ivanov thanked the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his visit in July this year, being the first official visit of UN Secretary-General to the Republic of Macedonia. President Ivanov stressed that Macedonia extremely respect the United Nations and actively contributes to meeting the UN goals. President Ivanov and Secretary General discussed the Macedonian contribution to the regional cooperation, integration into the European Union and NATO, and the Macedonian President informed about the preparations for the Macedonian Chairmanship of the South-East European Cooperation Process in 2013 and the Forum of the Dialogue among Civilizations.

On the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, held several bilateral meetings with heads of state and government.

At the meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, mutual satisfaction was expressed with the positive trend in relations and cooperation. Both agreed that political dialogue is continuous and contributes to the strengthening of the relations and finding opportunities for promotion of cooperation, especially in the economic sphere.

During the talks, Sheikh Al Thani reiterated Qatar’s interest to invest in Macedonia, in the field of electricity production, in agriculture and food industry. Sheikh Al Thani visited Macedonia last year, when contracts were signed that create a legal framework for the planned Qatari investments in Macedonia.

At the meeting it was agreed to continue contacts at all levels, especially among institutions responsible for areas of interest for Qatari investments. Both countries need to take measures for further strengthening of the legal framework.

In New York, President Ivanov met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn. President Ivanov at the meeting asked for support for a decision to be adopted at the European Council meeting in December to start negotiations for Macedonia's accession to the European Union.

At the meeting, President Ivanov stressed the three consecutive positive recommendations of the European Commission to open negotiations, and noted that Macedonia has realistic expectations for parallel movement of the EU integration and the talks with Greece to overcome the name dispute. Deputy Prime Minister Asselborn answers that Macedonia can count on the support of Luxembourg and expressed hope that Macedonia will soon become an EU member state.

In New York, President Ivanov met with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Jigme Thinley, and discussed the possibility for establishing bilateral relations between the two countries. President Ivanov stressed that Macedonia is strongly interested in promoting and strengthening cooperation with Asian countries.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, in New York attended the reception hosted by the President of the United States in honor of the Heads of Delegations participating at the 67th United Nations General Assembly, where he met with the US President Barack Obama. At the meeting, during the reception hosted by the US President, President Ivanov asked the US support to the Republic of Macedonia for NATO membership to continue.

President Obama said that the United States give strong support for the Republic of Macedonia’s integration in NATO. The US President expressed at the same time his appreciation for the contribution that Macedonia provides for the military missions such as the mission in Afghanistan.

The US President at the meeting with President Ivanov encouraged the dialogue of the Republic of Macedonia and Greece to overcome the name dispute, hoping that a solution would be found. President Obama said that he knows that it is necessary to work for Macedonia’s accession to NATO.