The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, met today with Mr. Ivan Simonovic, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights.

At the meeting, they exchanged views on the current political situation in the Republic of Macedonia, as well as on the activities that are undertaken in order to overcome it.

President Ivanov stressed the importance of normalization of the political dialogue and resolution of all challenges within the institutions and under the Constitution and legislation. In that context, it was noted that the prolonged boycott of the institutions, the long absence of political dialogue, does not affect positively the democracy and are not in the interest of the European and the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia.

The UN Assistant Secretary-General expressed concern about the events in Kumanovo, stressed the necessity of credible, professional and transparent actions of all institutions and political factors, and welcomed the launch of the political dialogue under the auspices of the European Union in overcoming the political crisis.

Also, the Macedonian President stressed that in this situation responsible behavior of all social factors is needed and reaffirmed the commitments of the Republic of Macedonia to respect human rights and the rule of law.

At the meeting, they also exchanged views on the latest developments in the region and the respect for human rights in regional context.