The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, paid a visit to Istanbul where he had working meetings with the President of the Republic of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At the meetings, the collocutors concurred positive trend in development of bilateral relations and cooperation thus expressing satisfaction from continued high level of political relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey, characterized with spirit of friendship, high level of trust and absence of open issues.

Central topic of these two meetings was exchange of opinions on the latest developments concerning Macedonia's integration in NATO ahead of Chicago Summit.

President Ivanov expressed his gratitude for the support that the Republic of Macedonia receives from the Republic of Turkey in the North-Atlantic Alliance and underlined that Macedonia has met all requirements and expects the deserved NATO membership. President Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan emphasized that the Republic of Macedonia can always count on unreserved support from the Republic of Turkey. They also exchanged views and information on regional issues at the meetings.