The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today received the members of the Macedonian kick-boxing team who won medals at the World Kick-Boxing Championship, which took place in the period 26 - 29 October in the sports hall “Boris Trajkovski” in Skopje. The Macedonian team won two gold, two silver and one bronze medal, all medals in kick-light discipline.

President Ivanov congratulated them on the achieved success, stressing that when young Macedonian athletes realize victories, it is a victory for all of us and it is a strong uniting element.

“Young people in Macedonia need positive examples and people like you who work tirelessly to achieve success. Your engagement is not only a sport but a way of living that requires concessions and sacrifices, but you should never forget that soldiers are people of noble spirit”, President Ivanov told the Macedonian kick-boxing team.

The title World Champion this year went to Dimitar Georgiev and Ace Georgievski, the title World Vice-Champion to Gordana Boshevska and Maja Mihajlovska, and the bronze was won by Stefka Jankovska. These young people, besides kick-boxing, work or study and nurture a variety of professional interests – in economy, information technology, mechanical and electrical engineering, security. However, they remain committed to sport and actively train every day. Along with the Director of the Macedonian Kick-Boxing Federation and their Coach, they awarded President Ivanov with a Plaque, as a token of gratitude for his support for the development and promotion of sports in Macedonia.

At the World Kick-Boxing Championship, 1200 competitors took part from more than 60 countries. So far, in the Republic of Macedonia, Balkan and European Championships were organized. Macedonian Kick-Boxing Federation announced that in future they will apply for some of the next World Kick-Boxing Championships to be organized in our country again.

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The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today, within the official visit to the Republic of Croatia, laid wreath at Zagreb’s Mirogoj cemetery, at the site where the Macedonian revolutionary and Vice President of ASNOM Presidium, Panko Brasnarov, is buried.

In a symbolic manner, a Macedonian delegation for the first time paid tribute to one of the founders of the Macedonian state, after Brashnarov’s burial site has been officially revealed to the public, following his death as a political prisoner at Goli Otok.

“Our sincere wish is the man who opened the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the People’s Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) and who declared Macedonia a free state to get what he deserves and his remains to be returned to the country for which he fought for”, President Ivanov stated, adding that the relevant institutions should assess all the opportunities for exhuming his remains.

“Throughout our history we have endured so many ordeals and difficult times that prevented us from paying attention to great men. Now is the time, as an independent state, in a certain manner, to pay respect to those who fought and died for our country, to do something to return their remains in their homeland”, President Ivanov noted, saying that this act coincides with the All Saint’s Day, catholic religious holiday, marked today in Croatia.

Brashnarov’s burial site was officially revealed in an investigative reporters story, thus the Macedonian President extended his gratitude and urged for other such initiatives.

President Ivanov met today with representatives of the Macedonian community in Croatia as it marks 20 years of involvement in preserving the national identity and promoting activities for progress of nearly 5.000 Macedonians in Croatia.

The Macedonian community is committed to launch Macedonian language classes in all major cities populated by a Macedonian minority. These days it will be enabled in a school in Vukovar, and over 100 children will study Macedonian language as an optional subject. One of the best Macedonian language departments in this part of Europe in within the Faculty of Philology in Rijeka.

The Macedonian President met today with representatives of Croatian companies operating in the Macedonian market and in the Croatian Chamber of Commerce he presented the possibilities to invest in Macedonia and to increase the economic cooperation.

"The traditionally excellent political relations between Macedonia and Croatia should be translated into the economic relations by boosted trade exchange and more investment", President Ivanov said. According to him, greatest bilateral cooperation potential lies in the processing industry and agriculture. One of the possibilities for cooperation is Macedonian and Croatian companies to appear on third markets jointly. As an example, President Ivanov mentioned the market in Qatar, where Macedonian and Croatian construction companies can act jointly.

Trade exchange between Macedonia and Croatia stood at 200 million euros in 2010, marking very low surplus on Macedonian side. In the first eight months of 2011 it stands at 185.6 million dollars, which is a 24% growth compared to the same period last year.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, who pays a two-day official visit to the Republic of Croatia, today in Zagreb, met the Croatian President, Ivo Josipovic. Both Presidents assessed that the relations between the two countries are excellent but still there is room to boost economic cooperation, by infrastructure connectivity, increase of trade exchange.

President Josipovic said that Croatia will continue to support Macedonia in its Euro-Atlantic integrations. As future EU member state, it will not lay obstacles on Macedonia’s path, regardless of the open bilateral issue with Greece. The Macedonian Head of State asked Josipovic to urge application of the positive model of overcoming the Croatia-Slovenia dispute in the settlement of Macedonia’s bilateral row with Greece.

“With the application of this positive example, the EU accession negotiations and the settlement of the name issue can move in parallel”, President Ivanov stressed, voicing belief that the European Commission will approve this positive model.

His counterpart Josipovic expressed support to Macedonia’s integration, adding that bilateral problems should not have an effect on the individual path of any country towards the EU. As future member of the EU and as a window for regional problem settlement, Josipovic promised assistance for all countries in the region.

“Croatia’s position is that bilateral problems should not have an effect on the individual path of any country towards the EU, adding that Croatia will not condition the accession of any of its neighbors, including Macedonia. We will constantly provide assistance and I believe that after the elections in my country, regardless of the outcome, the application of this policy will continue, the Croatian President said.

President Ivanov, answering a journalist’s question regarding the omission of the adjective “Macedonian” in the last European Commission Report, said that the EC in the last report on Macedonia’s progress cast a shadow on its sincere intentions, and of the intentions of Greece, since Greece keeps saying that the problem of the name of our country within the United Nations is the single problem it has. He stressed that the Macedonian society sent a strong reaction to the EC since the omission of the adjective Macedonian is the most sensitive issue for us and for all other nations, if concerned.

   
“We consider that with this act the EC takes side, which is not in line with the EU principles, applicable to all. The language is a spiritual homeland of a nation. We ask the EU to act in a European manner, since in its documents and standards, the Macedonian language exists. On the other hand, it is paradox, to whom this report refers, to what population and what is the language spoken by that population to whom this report refers, the Macedonian President said.

President Ivanov at the meeting with his Croatian counterpart Josipovic asked for support of Macedonia’s inclusion in the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative as a permanent member, not as an observer. According to Josipovic, the political component, being the easier one, has been overcome, what remains is the economic aspect.

In presence of both Presidents, the Ministers of Justice, Blerim Bexheti and Drazen Bosnjakovic, signed the Extradition Agreement. According to this document, Macedonian nationals with Croatian passports will be available to the Macedonian authorities at Croatian territory.

President Ivanov is also scheduled to meet today the Croatian Parliament Deputy Speaker, Vladimir Sheks, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gordan Jandrokovic. Meetings are also scheduled with representatives of Croatian companies operating in Macedonia, including “Agrokor”, “Vindija”, “Kras”, “Croatia Airlines” etc.

On the second day of the visit to Zagreb, President Dr. Gjorge Ivanov will meet representatives of the Macedonian community in Croatia, and visit Panko Brashnarov’s tomb.

Sport has the power to link people and nations, to build the principle of respect for the opponent and fair play, principles necessary for the political and business elites on global level today. It will be better for all of us if these principles of sport become dominant in the other spheres as well, the President of the Republic of Macedonia Dr. Gjorge Ivanov said yesterday on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the 5th Peace and Sport International Forum 2011 taking place in Monte Carlo under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

President Ivanov, being one of the key-note speakers at the opening ceremony of the Forum, stressed that practicing sport is building positive attitudes, dedicated individuals who, through sport can contribute to peace.

“From the dawn of humanity, sport, understood as a competition of the human spirit, will and physical strength has been seen as a substitution for war. Today, here, at this Forum, we see sport not as a substitution for war, but as a road to peace. Through its power to attract, mobilize and inspire individuals, communities and nations, sport helps us promote the ideas of peace, tolerance, justice, non-violence and solidarity”, the Macedonian President said at the opening of the Forum, where he was announced with the constitutional name of the country – the Republic of Macedonia.
He also underlined that sport has the power to link people and nations, to teach the youth that there is no such thing as a short-cut to success, because will, diligence and hard work is necessary for it.

As a confirmation of his stance concerning the power of the sport to link people and nations, the Macedonian President mentioned several successes of Macedonian athletes, including the latest success of the Macedonian basketball team at European Basketball Championship, which as he said, made all Macedonian citizens proud and united in the victory.

“Therefore, each sport success encourages us to continue investing in sport, not only as a physical activity, but as a way of building positive attitude, dedicated individuals who, through sport can contribute to peace”, President Ivanov said, reminding of the accelerated and increased investment in sport, sport facilities and infrastructure in Macedonia.

The President added that in sport, just like in peace, an individual achievement can be decisive and can change the end result, as the acts of a dedicated group of individuals can prevent an outbreak of a conflict, or can stop an ongoing conflict.

A short video message was broadcasted before the audience of the young basketball player Ognen Stojanovski as an announcement of President Ivanov’s address, speaking of the uniting power of sport, its power to motivate and inspire to achieve better results.

Also, the Hungarian President Pal Schmitt, King Letsie III of Lesotho, the President of the Republic of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, and the President and Founder of Peace and Sport, Joël Bouzou, delivered addresses at the Forum’s opening.

Peace and Sport International Forum, founded in 2007, aims at sustainable peace, throughout the world through sport, encouraging cooperation and exchange of opinions in view of designing concrete initiatives which will put sport in function of peace.

The ongoing success of this Forum is owing to the participation of the highest authorities from the worlds of politics, sport, the private sector, international organizations and civil society, committed to take actions for attaining this goal.

The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic, today within the two-day official visit to the Republic of Macedonia, had a meeting with President Dr. Gjorge Ivanov. At the meeting, both interlocutors concluded that the political and economic relations between the two countries are excellent and without outstanding issues. They discussed the situation in the region and issues in the interest of both countries, as well as the economic cooperation and the internal problems they face.
Both presidents stressed that the problems in the Balkans should be settled only through dialogue.

“Each problem in the region of the Balkans must be settled through dialogue and a solution should be found in favor of peace and peace will finally prevail in the entire region. Sometimes the dialogue is halted, however initiated processes must never be blocked and through dialogue we must find adequate solutions”, President Ivanov said answering a question at the press conference after the meeting.

The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Komsic agreed with his view and noted that we can learn from the recent history that any kind of conflict in the Balkan region must end with dialogue, being the only right way and the only way out of the. Conflict
Asked whether it is possible to alter the boundaries of the Balkans, Komsic said that in his opinion, the process of drawing the borders in the Balkans is completed.

“Any reopening of this issue inevitably leads to some sort of conflict. Unfortunately in these areas it will not mean political conflict but an armed one. The issue of drawing boundaries in our region is very serious and anyone who will raise it directly can cause new conflicts”, said Komsic, recalling the 90s of last century when the issue of drawing new borders caused problems in all countries in the region.

Bosnian Presidency Chairman said that the Balkans can pay a very high price if elsewhere in the region the issue of drawing new boundaries is raised.

“I hope drawing new borders is already a finished story in the Balkans. The attempt to alter the boundaries and the creation of exclusive ethnic areas, and thus the formation of such states, brings troubles and problems to all. We should leave that behind and look at the future”, said Komsic.

The Macedonian President said that our region has already entered a process that is unstoppable and whose goal is to relativize the issue of borders.
“All Balkan countries have a strategic goal to be members of NATO and the European Union. If currently there is certain halt due to some internal problems in the Union, that does not mean we have given up of our strategic goals. The problems in the Union, result of the economic crisis, leave room for us to meet the criteria for easier accession to the EU”, Pres