The two-day visit of the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, to the Republic of Slovenia began with the highest honors at the ceremonial reception. Macedonia and Slovenia have been nourishing friendly relations, with a high level of understanding and trust. However, the two countries should work on boosting the economic cooperation, Presidents Gjorge Ivanov and Danilo Turk assessed after their meeting at Brdo near Kranj.

The two presidents discussed issues related to European initiatives, especially for Macedonia to join the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, as well as the possibility the Adriatic highway to link with corridors 8 and 10.

The Macedonian side also urged Slovenian experiences to be applied in using the EU pre-accession funds.

At the meeting, the two Presidents addressed the Macedonian-Greek name dispute, when the Macedonian side asked support for the matter to get the same treatment as the Slovenian-Croatian one, namely advancement of the country's EU-integration process regardless of the pace of the dispute settlement.
In this regard, the Slovenian President Turk saluted the more frequent meetings between the Macedonian and the Greek Prime Ministers, but at the same time he stated that it would be beneficial for the name dispute to be settled before the ruling of The Hague-based International Court of Justice on Macedonia's motion against Greece.

According to President Turk, Macedonia's accession to the European Union and NATO is in favor of everybody, as the country is a significant factor of the Balkans' and Europe's stability.

President Ivanov emphasized that swift settlement of the name issue is crucial for Macedonia's EU-integration process.

- The assessment is objective that Macedonia has been implementing the reforms successfully; still the country’s EU-integration process is impeded. Therefore we need a solution now, not tomorrow. We seek for a mutually acceptable solution in line with the international law and principles," Ivanov said.
In the presence of both Presidents, a Protocol for cooperation in the sphere of education was signed, which is to enable scholarships for Macedonian students at Slovenian universities and vice versa. At the first day of the official visit President Ivanov also had talks with Prime Minister Borut Pahor, Deputy Speaker Miran Potrc and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Jankovic.
This two-day official visit of President Ivanov coincides with the marking of the 20th anniversary of the independence of the two countries.