The upcoming elections, the electoral models, the situation in the Parliament, the international law, the Hague ruling and its impact on the name issue were topics of interest of the students of the Faculty of Law in Kicevo, where the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, held a lecture on the rule of law”.

The topic caused great interest for these students as future lawyers, who have already deeply involved into the secrets of the law, and given the questions they asked and what that concluded, it is a scientific institution I see great prosperity. Although the rule of law is abstract and voluminous topic, it always comes down to what is our real life, all the challenges that we face, issues that we consider on a daily basis and therefore are of interest for the students”, President Ivanov said, adding that he was pleased to accept the invitation to be their guest.

President Ivanov met with the Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Ilija Todorovski, who introduce the curricula and the functioning of the Faculty to the President. They discussed the processes in the higher education in the Republic of Macedonia.

Asked to comment on the appointment of new defence minister and the protests in response to his appointment, President Ivanov said the following:

“Still fresh are the memories of what happened in Macedonia in 2001 and many wounds of the conflict are not healed. It is a sensitive topic and his appointment caused such reactions. However, I, as Commander-in-Chief, urge all those who are members of the Army and those who are not members of the Army not to have concerns about the Army. During my office, three defence ministers have changed, but the Army has sustained. Always assessed with the highest grades and serves as an example in terms of its performance and fulfillment of all assignments in the countries we are invited to participate. Many ministers, supreme commanders, heads of state will come and go, but the Army will remain what it has always been and will become even stronger and will always be an example of how other institutions should function”, President Ivanov said.

Asked what the prospects of Macedonia are this year to get a date for the start of negotiations, given that the political impasse is overcome, President Ivanov said that he expects Macedonia, after four positive reports, to be given the deserved date for negotiations.

"We fulfill our obligations, although the so called political crisis distracted us and took some of our time. However, due to our accomplishments, and if local elections are conducted smoothly, we deserve to get a date, because it belongs to us, it should not be seen as a gift. After four positive reports received, the date is something that belongs to the Republic of Macedonia”, the Macedonian Head of State said during his visit to Kicevo.