The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, during the Central Europe Summit of Heads of State, held in Bratislava, Slovakia, pledged Macedonia to be given a date to start accession negotiations with the EU and the positive experience of parallel movement of the processes to be applied. I clearly stressed the request Macedonia to be given a date because it deserves that and that the positive experiences in the process of European integration needs to be applied to Macedonia. We have a positive example of parallel processes and we want the same to be applied to Macedonia because it gives results, and, finally, what we have worked for, what is deserved, Macedonia should get it, and not only Macedonia but all the countries in the region that meet the standards, criteria and principles required by Europe, President Ivanov said after the Summit, which he said is an excellent opportunity to present the positions before the other presidents in the region, because it is a closed forum and all issues are openly discussed. The Macedonian President said that the EU can not speak on behalf of Europe, because it is not yet the EU. When our region becomes part of the EU, then the EU can speak on behalf of Europe. Therefore, Europe is an unfinished project, President Ivanov said.

President Ivanov asked for support for Macedonia's EU integration at the meetings he had today on the sidelines of the Central Europe Summit of Heads of State. At the meeting with the Slovenian President Borut Pahor, President Ivanov expressed his expectation that Slovenia, as before, will support the date for negotiations and will affirm at the meeting of the Council of the European Union the principle of parallel movement that this country has applied to Croatia, which has given results. The meeting confirmed the god bilateral relations and return official visit of President Pahor to Macedonia next month was agreed.

Key topic at the meeting with the Lithuanian President Dalia Grabauskajte was Macedonia's EU integration. At the meeting, President Ivanov urged the European leaders Macedonia to be given what it long deserves at the upcoming summit and the principles of parallel movement to be applied equally and informed that the status quo is not good for the region.

It was concluded at the meeting with the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych that Macedonia and Ukraine have traditionally excellent bilateral relations and cooperation and understanding. They stressed the commitment to support each other at multilateral level. Yanukovych and Ivanov agreed visits at the highest level which are to be preceded by a meeting of the Macedonian-Ukrainian Trade and Economic Cooperation Committee and the Joint Committee on the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement, in order to prepare the visit and to concretize cooperation. President Yanukovych welcomed the commitment of the Macedonian President to strengthen the cooperation and relations with Ukraine.