The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, met today with the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mr. Dean Spielmann.

At the meeting, President Ivanov welcomed the visit of the delegation of the European Court of Human Rights and underlined that the Republic of Macedonia attaches great importance to the role and activities of the Court of Human Rights. I welcome the positive changes after the adoption of Protocol 14, which provides for improved performance of the Court and allows the Court to pay greater attention to the cases that open important debates on human rights, including the right of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene as a third party in the disputes, President Ivanov said. At the same time, President Ivanov informed that the Republic of Macedonia is considering the adoption of Protocol 15, which is expected to be ratified by the end of this year or early next year and that the consultations on signing of Protocol 16 are already underway. We constantly reform the judicial system in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights, and we are grateful for the excellent cooperation in the training of our judges, President Ivanov said.

President Spielmann informed President Ivanov on the latest developments related to the reforms and debates on the future of the European Court of Human Rights, and they exchanged views and information on the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as on the situation of human rights in the Republic of Macedonia and in the region.