The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov had today in Paris a meeting with the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and discussed the ongoing and future activities and projects in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The meeting between the Head of our State and Bokova comes after the recent election of the Republic of Macedonia as a member of the UNESCO Executive Board, being its highest body.

  
UNESCO Director General Bokova expressed her expectation Macedonia to contribute to the efforts of UNESCO in facing serious challenges. “UNESCO, as many other institutions, is faced with numerous challenges in this period, so we, as Executive Board member, share responsibility to contribute in finding solutions in these times of great challenges”, President Ivanov said after the meeting.

President Ivanov and Bokova discussed about the Summit: Dialogue among Civilizations” which will be held in Macedonia again in 2013, ten years after the initiative of the late President Boris Trajkovski. The first such Summit was held in Ohrid in 2003.

”UNESCO supported the project for dialogue among civilizations, which was initiated by my predecessor, President Boris Trajkovski, and it gives results. The so-called Ohrid Process contributed the leaders of Eastern Europe to meet and organize debates on issues of common interest for the entire region, in the area of culture, art, tradition.

This was also discussed with Ms. Bokova - a time when we should move to a higher qualitative phase, to do our best the communication that is supported by UNESCO and the Council of Europe to be enhanced and contribute to what we leave for future generations”, President Ivanov said and expressed hope that during the second decade a qualitative step will be made, i.e. implementation of regional projects with concrete actions.

He also expressed his expectation that the focus in future will be placed on training and education of young leaders from South-Eastern Europe, in every social sphere, because the future regional leaders are the ones who should benefit from the positive climate which has already been created by this process.

UNESCO Director General Bokova supported President Ivanov’s initiative and accepted the invitation to visit the next School for Young Leaders which will be held in Macedonia for the third time under the auspices of the President.

At today's meeting in Paris, President Ivanov and Irina Bokova exchanged views on the Republic of Macedonia's candidacy for UNESCO in the field of intangible cultural heritage, support for a higher establishment of the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology (IHIS), for Neolithic Observatory Kokino and other projects. The President said that UNESCO is a great supporter of many initiatives and activities in our country, expressing gratitude for the overall support given so far, as well as for the projects we hope will be supported by UNESCO in future.

After the talks with Irina Bokova, the President signed the Golden Book of UNESCO.

President Dr. Gjorge Ivanov in Paris participates at a scientific meeting dedicated to the famous Turkish Traveler of the 17th century, Evliya Celebi, held within the Alliance among Civilizations. President Ivanov will declare open the great exhibition of works "The Ottoman Traveler, Evliya Celebi" at the Institute of the Arab World.