President Ivanov tonight, at the Presidential Villa Vodno hosted a dinner attended by the Apostolic Nuncio accredited to the Republic of Macedonia, Archbishop Janusz Bolonek and the former Apostolic Nuncio, Santos Abril y Castillo.

President Ivanov congratulated on today’s laying of cornerstone of the new Archbishop Residence in Skopje suburb Vodno, expressing satisfaction that practically one of the necessary preconditions for a possible visit of the Pope has been launched, and reaffirmed the invitation Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Republic of Macedonia.

The President also congratulated the former Nuncio Castillo on his appointment as Cardinal of the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore.

The meeting reaffirmed that the Republic of Macedonia and the Holy See nurture relationships filled with mutual understanding and support, and that the Holy See policy and international efforts, promoting the supreme moral values coincide with the foreign policy orientations of our country. The Republic of Macedonia, as the President said, is a multinational, multicultural and multiconfessional country where dialogue, tolerance, respect for diversity are a centuries-old tradition.

”Our model of coexistence based on the principle of integration without assimilation is our strongest card in the international society, and also our best political export product. That is our contribution to the regional stability and prosperity”, said President Ivanov.

The meeting also addressed the Republic of Macedonia’s efforts to strengthen the dialogue among religions, as well as regular participation at the conferences on dialogue among religions and civilizations. President Ivanov expressed satisfaction that the 10th anniversary of the Summit of Heads of State and Governments in Southeast Europe dedicated to dialogue among civilizations, which was held for the first time in 2003 in Ohrid, the Republic of Macedonia will again host this important event in 2013.