The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, today in Sivas, Turkey, was awarded the title Doctor Honoris Causa by the prestigious Cumhuriyet University.

The award was given to President Ivanov him at a solemn ceremony organized by the rector of the University, Dr. Alim Yildiz, after which the Macedonian President delivered a lecture on the topic "Ataturk and Macedonia".

During his lecture, President Ivanov stressed that this title represents a privilege and honor to him, all the more that it is awarded in Sivas, the city where in 1919 at Ataturk's initiative, the historic and revolutionary congress was held marking the beginning of the struggle for independence and the rule of the citizens of Turkey.

- Ataturk considered that with the Congress in Sivas, the Turkish people took sovereignty in their hands again. He believed that the only way that Turkey would become a modern nation is through a political system in which there will be no division, but a unity of power, concentrated in a single authority that reflects national sovereignty. Therefore, the Grand National Assembly emerged as a body that controled the legislative, executive and judicial powers. As elected President of the Grand Assembly, Ataturk gained tremendous power necessary to make essential reforms in the country, Ivanov said.

The connection between Mustafa Kemal and Macedonia, according to the Macedonian president, is not only geographical. Macedonia, said the President, was the window through which Ataturk met these values, it was the space where his character was defined, where his views were built, where the ideas ripened out of which the Republic of Turkey emerged later.

- Macedonia is not only the place where he was born, but the place where his worldview, his character and his perceptions were formed. Ataturk in Macedonia directly studied the importance of coexistence, learned the Macedonian values, such as the acceptance of others. Later, what he learned in Macedonia, he applied in Turkey. Therefore, the source of his model for thorough reforms is in Bitola, which at the time of his stay was the proud city of consuls in which intelligence, but also the wider population, was exposed to Western, European values. Bitola was the window to Europe, a space from where the advanced ideas entered the Empire, the Macedonian President said in his lecture.

In his lecture, President Ivanov referred to the sources from where Ataturk draws his ideals which he applied in the transformation of Turkey.

-He tore the entire political fabric, turned the monarchy into a republic, reduced the empire to a territory, transformed the religious state into a secular republic, overthrew the Sultan, expelled the Caliph and rejected all ties with the Ottoman Empire. He made one of the greatest cultural, political and socio-economic transformations in modern times. That is how Turkey was born, as a national secular state, said Ivanov.

President Ivanov has received numerous awards from higher education institutions and organizations in the world. The Macedonian President was named Honorary Professor at the Moscow University "Lomonosov" and "Southwest University of Finance and Economics" in Chengdu, PR China. Honorary doctorates have been awarded by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, the Istanbul University, the Hadzi Bektashi Veli University in Nevsehir, the TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, the Academy of Public Administration of Azerbaijan in Baku, Christian Demetrius Kantemir University in Bucharest, and was named member of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences and Honorary Protector of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences in Salzburg.

In the framework of his visit to Turkey, President Ivanov had meetings with the Mayor and the Governor of Sivas, and tomorrow in Istanbul, the Macedonian President will attend and address the Global Leadership Forum.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, in Skopje hosted a meeting of the leaders of the participating countries of the Brdo-Brijuni Process.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Ilir Meta, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Bakir Izetbegovic, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Hashim Thaci, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Aleksandar Vucic, the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and the President of Montenegro, Mr. Filip Vujanovic.

Special guests at the meeting in Skopje were the President of the European Council, Mr. Donald Tusk, and the President of the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Boyko Borisov.

At the press conference following the meeting of the leaders of the Brdo-Brijuni Process countries, President Ivanov said that top strategic goals of the Republic of Macedonia are membership in NATO and the EU and assessed that for a long time the policy of enlargement failed in the case of the country, not because of the principles and criteria of the EU, but because of disrespect of those principles and criteria by one member state.

- As President of the Republic of Macedonia, I call on the Union to allow parallel movement of membership negotiations and overcoming the bilateral difference between Macedonia and Greece, President Ivanov said.

He added that by its very nature, enlargement is a political, not just a technical issue.

- The European Council has the final word, and not the European Commission. The political issue cannot be solved only by a technical approach; it requires courage, determination and creativity from the Union. There is no better example of this than Slovenia and Croatia, which, with the help of the European Union, managed to find a way for parallel negotiations. Thanks to this European approach, Slovenia and Croatia today are leaders of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, President Ivanov said.

The European Council President, Donald Tusk, stressed that the region needs more positive examples, such as the Treaty of good neighborly relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria, the agreement between Pristina and Montenegro.

- Perhaps, the history of the Balkans, which resembles a horror film that never ends, still has a happy ending. What happened with North and South Korea shows that the impossible becomes possible, Tusk said.

He noted that during his tour of the Western Balkans he gave a clear message that EU member states are firmly committed to the European perspective of the region.

- You can count on us, it is not just empty words, it is a fact, Tusk said.



The Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov voiced hope that Macedonia and Greece will soon resolve the name dispute and that there is a historic opportunity for that now. And he made a parallel with North and South Korea, noting that when these two countries managed to reach an agreement, the countries of the region would certainly be able to overcome the differences.

The Croatian President Grabar-Kitarovic welcomed the decision recommending the start of negotiations with Macedonia and Albania and stressed that Zagreb will do everything possible to speed up this process for the two countries.

- Croatia strongly supports the enlargement policy, which is based on the principle of individual merits, which is based on strict rules and valuation, President Grabar-Kitarovic said.

The Slovenian President Pahor said that the EC's decision to support again the reforms in the countries of the region so that they become part of the Union is of great importance.

- Based on my political experience, it is clear that Brussels cannot do everything if the leaders of the countries fail to do it themselves. I am convinced that with good political will all problems can be solved and I see the future with optimism, Pahor said.

The leaders in the conclusions, among others, welcomed the messages and concrete proposals of the EU's Western Balkans Strategy and the confirmation of a credible expansion and strengthening of the EU engagement with the region. They particularly welcomed the upcoming EU-Western Balkans summit, to be held in Sofia, as a concrete expression of the renewed EU approach to the region.

- We encourage the resolution of open issues and disputes in the spirit of good neighborly relations and in accordance with international law, reverting to the means of peaceful settlement, primarily to permanent international courts and tribunals, as well as arbitration, the leaders said.

The focus of this year's Meeting of the Leaders of the participating countries in the Brdo-Brijuni Process in Skopje is the need to improve the interconnection in political, economic, infrastructural and security terms, in the context of the new EU strategy for the Western Balkans.

Within the Brdo-Brijuni Process, for the first time upon the initiative of the Republic of Macedonia, a meeting of the Directors of the Intelligence Agencies of the participating countries will be held to discuss the security connectivity as a segment of the regional cooperation.

The Meeting of the Leaders of the participating countries in the Brdo-Brijuni Process will be held next year in Albania.

The Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Croatia have exceptionally good friendly relations without any open issues. Croatia is a great supporter of Macedonia on its path to the EU and NATO and will do everything for its completion as soon as possible. Open issues with other countries may not be a hinder on that path. They can and must be dealt with in parallel with the holding of the EU membership negotiations. This is the joint assessment of the Presidents of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov and Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, after their meeting in Skopje.

“We welcome the recommendation of the European Commission for opening of pre-accession negotiations for membership of the Republic of Macedonia in the European Union, and the Republic of Croatia will do everything in its power for a decision to set a date for the start of the negotiations by June, said Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic at the press conference after the meeting.

She pointed out that the Republic of Croatia will continue to support the Republic of Macedonia in the Council of EU regarding the date on the start of the negotiations, as she said, both in the domains of open diplomacy and behind closed doors, by creating a coalition of states that consider that Macedonia should start negotiations, by planning joint activities, argumentation and conversation with the disagreeing countries.

The President of the Republic of Croatia believes that open bilateral issues can be resolved in parallel with European integration.

“I think that maturity and preparedness for dialogue should be demonstrated by mutual respect and respect for international law and the solution to the problem is to be found by the two countries themselves without imposing a solution”, Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic said.

The Croatian President believes that the enlargement process should continue, and that the delays create a dangerous vacuum that will be fulfilled by third parties who are not interested in the progress of the countries on the road to EU and NATO membership, something, as she said, even the Union itself knows.

President Ivanov commended the constructive attitude of the Republic of Croatia that the bilateral disputes should not be an obstacle to the Euro-Atlantic path.

“In our region, there is a positive experience of parallel movement of negotiations and finding a mutual solution for all open issues. This is the example between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Slovenia, which can be applied in the case of the Republic of Macedonia, the Macedonian President said.

President Ivanov stressed that at the meeting with the Croatian President Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic, opinions were exchanged about the possibilities for cooperation in other spheres of mutual interest.

The interlocutors agreed that there is untapped potential for deepening economic cooperation between the two countries and that they need to work on their promotion.

“It is our common goal the Republic of Croatia to be among the five largest trading partners of the Republic of Macedonia in the coming years through a common and concrete contribution, Ivanov said, stressing that a significant aspect in the friendly relations between the two countries is the Macedonian community in the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian community in the Republic of Macedonia.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, hosted today a reception for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies students who, within the frames of the project "A day with Macedonian Leading CEOs", were selected to spend a working day with managers of successful companies in Republic of Macedonia. The project is implemented under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, organized by the Council of Foreign Investors at the Economic Chamber of Macedonia.

The program is to be implemented in the period from May to August 2018, and among the successful managers to implement the training are Stefan Peter from EVN Macedonia, Ilina Jakimovska from "Comfy Angel", Wolfgang Maringer from "Arcelor Mittal", Vladimir Kosijerod from "Brewery Skopje"and Avram Stojcevski from "Van Hool".

The Chairman of the Board of EVN Macedonia, Mr. Stefan Peter, expressed expectation for full motivation and involvement of the students by asking all possible questions, which would also be a challenge for the managers.

"This is an incredible program that is being implemented for the first time in Macedonia. The goal is that our domestic students do not have to go outside the country to learn different managerial skills and gain experience, but can stay at home in Macedonia and learn from the CEOs coming from abroad", Mr. Peter said.

Some of the selected participants expressed their satisfaction that they will be part of the project, which will give them a direct opportunity to gain new experiences and thus receive answers to some questions in the areas of their interest.

This is a great benefit; first of all I see myself here, in Macedonia, it is motivating when we get immediately acquainted with the work of people who have a great contribution here, Marija Andonova said.

I can say that the School for Young Leaders I participated in in 2015 was the reason and motive to get to the position I am now. This project would have been of great importance to me, because I could improve my skills, be better in my profession and the position I am at now, said Vanesa Vasilevska.

Main goal of the project is for the selected students to be directly acquainted with the working day of a top manager, to penetrate into the processes of running a company, to gain new knowledge, practical experiences and skills that will contribute to the development of their entrepreneurial spirit.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today the MP Bertrand Sorre, Chairman of the France-Macedonia Friendship Group in the National Assembly of the French Republic and MP Gregory Galbadon, Vice President of the France-Macedonia Friendship Group.

The meeting with the French MPs discussed the issue of enhancing the bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the French Republic through increased political and defense cooperation, further French support of the Macedonian Euro-integration processes, as well as the developments within the European Union.

President Ivanov stressed that the Republic of Macedonia is firmly committed to further strengthening of the friendly and partnership relations with the French Republic and stressed the need to promote the economic cooperation by increasing investment and trade exchange.

The Macedonian President expressed gratitude for the ongoing French support regarding the Macedonian European perspective and the hope that it will continue, especially for determining the date for the start of accession negotiations with the EU, following the positive recommendation from the European Commission for the Republic of Macedonia.

In this context, President Ivanov stressed that in parallel with the internal reforms and the deepening of the integration between the member states within the European Union itself, it is necessary for the Union to pursue the enlargement policy for the candidate countries of the Balkan region, because only in that way we will strengthen the peace, stability and prosperity in this part of Europe.

At the meeting, the Macedonian President welcomed the intensification of the inter-parliamentary cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the French Republic and expressed readiness to intensify the political dialogue at the highest level.