President Ivanov attended today the opening ceremony of the 23rd Spring Festival celebrations "Hid Bach Shen Fest" in Chalakli, Valandovo.

Greeting the participants of the Festival, President Ivanov said that the festival is an example of nurturing coexistence in Macedonia, an example of preserving our heritage for our children. In the spirit of that tradition, in the spirit of promoting unity, coexistence and prosperity for everyone in Macedonia, I declare the Festival open, said President Ivanov.

Extending gratitude for his previous visits, the Chalakli inhabitants also congratulated the presidential election victory and expressed great honor and gratitude to President Ivanov for being a guest for the third time of the "Hid Bach Shen Fest" in Chalakli, Valandovo.

This international festival traditionally marks the arrival of spring. This year, the cultural associations "Goce Delchev" and "Bahar" from Valandovo will perform, as well as musicians from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Turkey and folk groups from Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The event "Hid Bach Shen Fest" has been declared a special event of national interest in 2003 by a decision of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia.