As long as I am President of the European Parliament, the Republic of Macedonia will always have my support, told the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz the Macedonian President Ivanov at the meeting this afternoon in the European Parliament.

As President Ivanov said at the press conference after the meeting, among the topics of discussion was the role of the European Parliament in the EU integration process of our country and the trust this institution enjoys by the Macedonian citizens.

“We consider the EP an institution that is a great friend and supporter of Macedonia and of the European Union enlargement process. The European Parliament is an institution that continuously and wholeheartedly supports the initiation of negotiations for Macedonia’s membership in the European Union. This is confirmed with the resolutions overwhelmingly adopted in the Parliament, which give us hope each year in meeting our strategic goal - to become an EU member-state”, President Ivanov said and thanked the EP for the commitment regarding the sensitive topic in its reports, such as the use of the adjective “Macedonian” for our language and nation.

“For us it is very important the use of the identity determination that creates a positive atmosphere among the Macedonian citizens towards the European Parliament. We hope that certain positive examples to which the European Parliament pays attention, as the case of Slovenia and Croatia, will be used to find a solution not to block the process of European integration in our case with Greece. In this regard, we expect help from our MEPs and the Group of Friends of Macedonia in the EP, after so many years of waiting and four positive recommendations by the European Commission - to get a date to start negotiations for EU membership”, President Ivanov stressed.

Schultz, on the other hand, pointed out that at his first official meeting with the Macedonian head of state they had a friendly exchange of views. In addition, the President of the European Parliament said that he has accepted the invitation of President Ivanov, very soon to pay official visit to our country.

"The European Parliament has always supported the idea and the way each country, sooner or later, becomes a member of the EU. There are many problems which we can solve on this path together. Tomorrow, President Ivanov will meet the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy. He is the one who is in charge of the EU members. I, as representative of the European people, can confirm that the majority of MEPs want to see your country one day as part of the EU", Schultz emphasized and thanked for the great support that the European Parliament has in Macedonia.

Asked whether the European Parliament has a mechanism and will to unblock Macedonia's EU integration process and force Greece not to block Macedonia's accession into the EU, Schultz replied that the EP wants to see Macedonia as a member of the Union soon.

"We know the obstacles your country is faced with, but we know the situation in Greece, too. The new government in Athens is facing major economic and administrative problems. I told President Ivanov that his country is a symbol of multi-ethnic society and you give us hope in the EU with that", the President of the EP answered.

Asked how he assesses today's meeting with Rasmussen, Fule and Schultz during his two-day visit to Brussels, President Ivanov stressed that this visit is on the eve of the European Commission's report on Macedonia.

"We expect the report to be realistic and objective and contain everything we have undertaken under the High-Level Accession Dialogue (HLAD), which gives results and changes in the Macedonian society are felt. We expect this report to be positive and note all the effort we make in Macedonia in the process of European integration. At all meetings I was assured that what we do and what we have achieved in certain areas is respected. Macedonia is a positive example of how other countries should behave", President Ivanov stressed once again, noting that Macedonia expects in December to get a date to start negotiations for EU membership.

With tomorrow's meeting with the President of the Council, Van Rompuy, President Ivanov will wrap up his visit to Brussels.