The President of the Republic of Macedonia and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today, on the occasion of August 18th – the Day of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, received the generals of the Army of Republic of Macedonia.

The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff, Major General Goranco Koteski, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Neser Sejdini, the Director of Staff, Brigadier General Dimce Petrovski, the Commander of the Joint Operations Command, Brigadier General Methodija Velickovski, the Chief of Staff of the Joint Operations Command, Brigadier General Muhamet Racaj and the commander of the First Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Stojan Dimcov.

President Ivanov and the leadership of the Army exchanged views and information on the situation in the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, the involvement of Macedonian soldiers in peacekeeping missions in "ISAF" and "Althea", as well as on the future plans for development, modernization and improvement of the level of combat readiness of the Army the Republic of Macedonia.

During the reception, President Ivanov held a video conference with the Macedonian members of the peacekeeping mission "ALTHEA" in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the peacekeeping mission "ISAF" in Afghanistan.

President Ivanov congratulated the Macedonian peacekeepers the Day of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia and praised their dedication and professionalism in carrying out their noble mission. "The Republic of Macedonia is proud of you and your courage. The contribution you give in building world peace is the best proof of all the reforms in the Macedonian Army and thus you promote the Macedonian path to the Euro-Atlantic integration. We admire your professionalism", President Ivanov addressed peacekeepers.

The Macedonian peacekeepers expressed their thankfulness for the words of congratulations and praise, as well as for the continued support given by President Ivanov. The members of the peacekeeping missions in the conversation with the Macedonian President said that they will bravely and honorably perform their tasks in the future too, defending the common values - peace, freedom and democracy.