With a solemn lining up of the former Territorial Defence Squad “Kozjak” from Kriva Palanka in the presence of the President and Supreme Commander Dr. Gjorge Ivanov and Chief of Staff Goranco Koteski, today in the watch tower “Ramna Niva” at the Macedonian-Bulgarian border, the 20th anniversary of taking over of the border line by the Macedonian territorial unit from the former JNA was marked.

That morning, on March 11th, 1992, the territorial unit from Kriva Palanka, divided in three smaller units, took over the watch towers “Ramna Niva”, “Deve Bair” and “Kopriva” from the former JNA, and for the first time in the watch tower “Ramna Niva”, the Macedonian flag was hoisted.

Marking what happened 20 years ago we symbolically pay respect to all soldiers and officers, as well as the state leadership and the leadership of the Army for their efforts to mark the border of a sovereign and independent Republic of Macedonia”, President Dr. Gjorge Ivanov said after the ceremony.

He pointed out that with the peaceful surrender of the watch tower "Ramna Niva", the Republic of Macedonia then sent a message that it wants to mark in a peaceful manner what others did violently and with arms.

"Willingness was expressed that by setting the boundaries, we wanted to have peaceful relations with all our neighbors. With this act Macedonia demonstrated that it wanted to treat all its neighbors with dignity and in the interest of everyone living in the region and beyond", President Ivanov said.

"Exactly 20 years ago, on this day and right here, the dream of many generations of Macedonian activists to see Macedonia as an independent and sovereign state started to come true. On this day, the Macedonian flag was proudly displayed right here, on the watch tower "Ramna Niva"", stressed the then Defence Minister, Trajan Gocevski.

The then Commander of the District Headquarters of the Territorial Defence in Kumanovo, under whose authority was Kriva Palanka, General Gjorgi Karakutovski, reminded that March 11, 1992, is an important day and a historical moment deeply engraved in the overall history of Macedonia as a cornerstone in establishing the Army of the Republic of Macedonia and the independence of our country.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov is due to address the Gala Academy, as part of the central celebration of the anniversary, which will be held in the Cultural Center in Kriva Palanka.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day - March 8th, organized a reception for women employed in the Army of the Republic of Macedonia - professional soldiers, non-commissioned officers, officers and civilians serving in the Army of the Republic of Macedonia and the Ministry of Defence.

Congratulating them the holiday, President Ivanov reminded that throughout Macedonia’s history there are great women fighters, and that current women soldiers have the same values but in different circumstances.

”This day is to remember that we in our history have had many women heroes, many women fighters, thus, you consistently continue the tradition that starts with Sirma Vojvoda, Mirka Ginova, Ibe Palikukja, Elpida Karamanli, women who gave their lives for Macedonia. Therefore, I hope you will find way, as women, part of the armed forces, dealing with one of the male professions, to celebrate those fighters, the women who gave their lives”, President Ivanov told the female members of the Army.

This morning, President Ivanov, via video link, contacted the female members of the Army serving in peacekeeping missions - ISAF in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Althea in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who, likewise those in Macedonia, provide their contribution for the state.

“I am especially proud to be the Supreme Commander of an army that includes a significant number of female troops that partake in the most dangerous missions and tasks with their male peers. The Macedonian army is the pillar of our independence and sovereignty and you - the women in the army - are an additional guarantee for the successfulness of its mission”, President Ivanov stated.

I would like to congratulate you, the President said, on all successes you have achieved in life, for to be a soldier, to be an officer or to be responsible in a male profession is something that is respectable.

Thanking the President for his sincere wishes, the female members of the Army said that this idea and the contact with the President on the occasion of March 8th for them was a pleasant surprise and great honor. They congratulated all their female colleagues who work in the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, and to their families, to their mothers, grandmothers and sisters.

There are a total of 170 members of the Army in the ISAF mission, including four women - professional soldiers. The mission lasts six months, from January 2012 to July 2012. There are 11 members of the Army in the EU mission ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, seven of them are women - members of the medical team. The mission lasts six months from November 2011 to May 2012.

In an interview for the Austrian newspaper Die Presse, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov talks about the future of Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration and the prospects for resolving the name dispute with Greece. The President said in the interview that Greece deliberately postpones the settlement of the name issue and also that the incumbent Greek government currently has not set this issue high on its political agenda.

”In circumstances dealing with the economic crisis, Greece is not preoccupied with resolving the outstanding issues. We have a problem, Greece has no problem. We have wasted 20 years because Athens has been blocking the start of negotiations with the EU. We have met all the criteria for NATO membership, however, in 2008, Athens put a veto. The Greek conduct has negative consequences for the whole region. Greece is blocking us, and is not recognizing Kosovo. They apply the same approach to us as they apply in the case with Cyprus. And yet, they do this from the position of an EU member state. It is the logic of delays. It is becoming more and more obvious that as Greece deals with the economy, Greece deals in the same way with the politics”, President Ivanov said.

The President explained that by blocking the Republic of Macedonia’s accession to NATO, Greece has violated the Interim Accord, and therefore, Macedonia was forced to initiate a process at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

“The court ruled that Greece has violated the agreement and we expect NATO to accept this judgment”, the Macedonian President said.

President Ivanov referred to the recent visit of NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Athens, when the Greeks as a gift gave him a replica of the sword of Alexander the Great and added that maybe the symbolism of the message in this case is clear that he should cut the Gordian knot.

The Macedonian public, according to the President, understands the situation and the fact that we do everything in our capacity to resolve this issue. He also noted that the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and Greece have no problems among themselves.

"Many Macedonians traditionally spend their vacation in Greece; many Greek businessmen invest in Macedonia. Many Greek citizens commute to Macedonia daily and use the services which are cheaper here. Both societies have no problem in communication, that problem was created by the Greek political elite. Greek politicians profit by endorsing such policy towards Macedonia", President Ivanov said in the interview with Austrian Die Presse.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov today received the Letters of Credence of the newly appointed Ambassador - Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Macedonia, H.E. Aivo Orav.

Wishing him warm welcome and success in the execution of his new responsibility, the President, in the welcome address, expressed conviction that the rich professional experience and knowledge of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the proactive commitment of the Ambassador will contribute in attaining the ultimate goal – full fledged membership in the European Union, whereas the country has already met the criteria.

“European Union membership is the highest national strategic priority; there is continuous and solid consensus for it by the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia. The European Commission on three occasions, consequently, recommends opening of accession negotiations with the EU. Our region in the previous period in continuity has been receiving positive news; we have witnessed positive developments in the EU integrations in the entire region”, President Ivanov said at the ceremony of presenting the credentials.

He added that the Republic of Macedonia rightfully expects the EU to make a decision as soon as possible to open accession negotiations during the Danish Presidency.

“We urge and expect equal and fair treatment by the Union and its member states. We expect the positive example in the integration processes in our region, the principle of parallel movement in the integration and settlement of bilateral differences to be applied in our case as well”, President Ivanov stressed reminding that our good faith and constructive approach in overcoming the outstanding issue with Greece over the name is confirmed with the judgement of the International Court of Justice.

The EU Ambassador, Aivo Orav, said that the interest of the European Union is that a candidate country progresses towards the European Union and is able to become a full fledged member state.

"The EU continues to pay special importance to our bilateral relations, and the forthcoming high level dialogue led by the European Commission will be further sign of it. I hope that both sides will utilize those opportunities to the maximum”, Ambassador Orav said, adding that the EU pre-accession assistance is important tool to bring a candidate country closer to the Union and that the EU continues to fully support the letter and the spirit of the Ohrid Framework Agreement.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, who is paying a working visit to the Republic of Austria, today, had a meeting with his Austrian counterpart, President Heinz Fischer.

The discussions between the Presidents of Macedonia and Austria in Vienna were focused on issues of common interest, the possibilities to increase Austrian investment in Macedonia, as well as the issue of highest priority for the Republic of Macedonia – its European integration.

“We discussed about the relations between Macedonia and Austria, we tackled the issue of how to increase the interest of the Austrian businessmen to invest in Macedonia. We talked about the latest developments in the region, about issues of common interest, as well as the issue which causes greatest difficulty for us,  the issue of our European integrations and the positive examples in the region which can be applied in our case as well”, President Ivanov said after the meeting.

The Presidents discussed about the new ambience in the Western Balkans, with Croatia as a new European Union member state and the candidate status of Serbia.

“Macedonia due to the imposed problem with our name by Greece is in status quo. We are always supported by President Fischer in terms of our EU perspective and we are grateful for that”, President Ivanov said.

Fischer, the Austrian President, one of the most ardent supporters of the EU enlargement process, referred in this occasion to the problem that Greece has with our constitutional name as an obstacle in bringing decisions important for the wider European family.

"I will frankly say that we have discussed about an issue that has been bothering Europe for many years, i.e. the name issue. No one but Macedonia and Greece can resolve this issue, but there is great interest this issue to be resolved in a correct manner by finding a fair solution, as the dispute presents an obstacle for important decisions in Europe", President Fischer said.

The Austrian President informed President Ivanov on his talks with the Croatian President, Ivo Josipovic, the day before on the latest developments in the Western Balkans.

Austrian President Fischer also said that he accepts with pleasure the invitation of President Ivanov to pay official visit to the Republic of Macedonia next year.

The working visit of President Ivanov to Austria is due to continue in Salzburg, where tomorrow, at a ceremony, he will be inaugurated in a Protector of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences (EASA). With this honorary title, President Ivanov will join the group of patrons of the prestigious academic institutions, among the Presidents of Austria, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Greece and the Swiss Confederation - Heinz Fischer, Vladimir Putin, Ivan Gasparovic, Danilo Tirk, Karolos Papoulias, Doris Leuthart, as well the sovereigns of Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg. Honorary senators of this academy are a large number of incumbent and former heads of state and government and other senior officials and public figures.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today, as part of his working visit to the Municipality of Stip, met with the Mayor of the Municipality, Zoran Aleksov. At the meeting, the President was briefed about the projects implemented by the local government in the past period, about the economic development of the municipality, the current and future investments. Mayor Aleksov informed the President on the activities and endeavors which will result in a more modern and more beautiful city.

During the meeting of the President with the business sector representatives, the investment potentials of the city of Stip were presented, with an emphasis on the opportunities for investment in the industrial zones and in the technological industrial development zone. However, the key remark of the entrepreneurs from Stip was the need the eastern part of the state to get a more modern road infrastructure that will enable faster communication and transportation of the products to the European markets.

”Eastern Macedonia needs a new, modern infrastructure. Now is the time to put greater emphasis on reconstruction so that local resources can be utilized fully. The road Miladinovci - Stip would enable greater communication and businessmen would not spend time and resources for transportation. It is necessary to improve the public transport in the surrounding places”, President Ivanov said.

Stip businessmen also informed the President that due to the economic crisis, they face certain delays in the export of products, but that they do their best to overcome those obstacles.

President Ivanov visited the textile company “Albatross”, which, as he added, is a reflection of the economy of Stip.

”We talked about the possibilities offered by this industry branch and the future prospects, but also what can be used from the rich experience of Stip textile industry for a greater development. The textile industry needs labor force; most of the textile companies are facing lack of workers. There is a need for manpower in the direct manufacturing, but also adequate professional staff that would enable European market criteria to be met, where most of the products are exported”, the President said.

In a media statement during today’s visit to Stip, the President touched upon the agreement reached for international representation between Serbia and Kosovo, which is another example of parallel development of integration processes and the efforts to find solutions to bilateral disputes. As he stressed, it should be a model applied for Skopje and Athens in overcoming the name dispute.
“If there is will, there is also a way. We do not see that our neighbor is willing to follow Slovenian-Croatian example – parallel movement in the integration process and resolving the name issue. Serbia and Kosovo demonstrated will to find a solution. We have spent 20 years to encourage our neighbors to show willingness to reach a solution to the problem they have created. Given their policy so far, it is obvious that what they have done in the case with Cyprus, with Turkey, now they do with us. They let their problems be solved by the European Union, NATO, stressed the Head of state today in Stip.

Asked to comment the statements given by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Paul Wohlers that consensus is the key preventing us to join NATO, the President stressed that such statements do not indulge us with great optimism regarding the decisions of the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago.

"We hope and expect what was done in Bucharest to be corrected, because Greece misled other member-states, refusing to give its consent, although Greece is obliged under the Interim Accord to respect the agreements with us and with the international community”, President Ivanov said, adding that NATO should respect the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which strictly and clearly stated that a mistake was done at the Summit in Bucharest.

President Ivanov finished his visit to the Municipality of Stip by visiting the Institute for Protection of Monuments and the Museum of the City of Stip.