The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent a congratulation message to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, on the occasion of the National Day of the Hellenic Republic.

Your Excellency,

It is with great honor and pleasure to extend, on my personal behalf and on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, our sincere congratulations on the occasion of the National Day of the Hellenic Republic.

I avail myself of this solemn opportunity to state that building good neighborly relations, regional stability and cooperation, integration in the European Union and NATO, are the areas that represent a priority to the Republic of Macedonia.

Allow me to once again underline our strong commitment to the promotion of good neighborly relations and dialogue with your country, as well as to convey my strong message that, with joint efforts and cooperation, we can create a positive environment of mutual confidence and respect, with a view of ensuring prosperous future for our citizens.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent a congratulation note on the occasion of the re-election of H.E. Mr. Janos Ader, to the office of President of Hungary:

Distinguished Mr. President,

It is with great pleasure that I send my most sincere congratulations to you on the occasion of your re-election as President of the Republic.
I avail myself of this beautiful occasion to express my satisfaction with the achieved level of relations between Macedonia and Hungary, characterized by a high degree of mutual understanding and respect, as well as with the dynamics of the political dialogue and the fruitful cooperation in many areas. At the same time I would like to express gratitude for the vocal support that your country gives to the Republic of Macedonia on its path towards NATO and the European Union.
I look forward, Your Excellency, to our recent meeting in Budapest and to the future cooperation with you.
Wishing you good health, continued professional success and personal happiness, please accept, distinguished Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassadors of the Republic of Moldova and the Argentine Republic to the Republic of Macedonia.

At the ceremony of presenting the credentials by the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Republic of Macedonia, resident in Sofia, H.E. Mr. Stefan Gorda, President Ivanov stressed that the two countries share the same commitment to peace, security and prosperity of the region of South East Europe and beyond, and stressed that the cooperation between the two countries should continue to develop and deepen through intensification of the political dialogue at all levels.

"There are numerous potentials for cooperation in all areas of mutual interest that, with mutual engagement, should be utilized. Special emphasis should be put on the possibilities for enhancement of the economic cooperation, thus we should also take full advantage of the economic potential of our two countries, including the enhancement of the cooperation in the field of tourism, culture, education, science, research and innovation", President Ivanov said.

Ambassador Gorda expressed confidence that the current excellent political relations between Moldova and Macedonia will continue to intensify in the future and that the cooperation between the two countries in other areas of common interest will advance to a higher level.

At the ceremony of presenting the credentials by H.E. Mr. Alfredo Alberto Manuel Trueba, the newly appointed Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to the Republic of Macedonia, resident in Sofia, President Ivanov emphasized the exceptional importance which the Republic of Macedonia attaches to the successful development trend and further improvement of the overall relations with the Argentine Republic.

"Despite the geographical distance between our two friendly countries and belonging to different regions, I am firmly convinced that there is a common desire and a great potential for even more comprehensive and content-full development and promotion of the bilateral relations for the good of our peoples", President Ivanov said, adding it necessary through more intensive political dialogue to intensify the cooperation in the economic sphere, but also in all other areas of mutual interest.

Ambassador Trueba said that the bilateral relations between Macedonia and Argentina in the past 18 years can be defined as friendly, adding that the main areas to strengthen the traditionally good relations in the near future will be the encouragement of economic and trade cooperation and promotion of initiatives in the cultural sector.

President Ivanov wished the newly appointed ambassadors successful performance of their diplomatic office and expressed support in performing their duty.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today the OSCE Secretary General, Mr. Lamberto Zannier.

At the meeting they exchanged views on the current situation in the Republic of Macedonia and the challenges facing the country caused by the political, constitutional and institutional crisis.

In the context of the current situation, President Ivanov reiterated the position that there are legal and political aspects that are a problem, but also a precondition to get out of the situation. Regarding the legal aspect related to the deadlines for awarding the mandate, he said it is easy to overcome. Regarding the political aspect, President Ivanov stressed that he stands firmly on his position that the platform of Tirana should be condemned and rejected, as well as the interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Macedonia which do not assist in the efforts for good neighborly relations, stability and security in the region.

The OSCE Secretary General expressed concern about the inter-ethnic tensions, urging everyone to make constructive steps to overcome the crisis. He agreed with President Ivanov that the leaders of the region should refrain from harmful rhetorics.

The Macedonian President and the OSCE Secretary General exchanged views on the security situation in the country and the region, as well as on the migrant and refugee crisis. President Ivanov said that the Republic of Macedonia continues to implement the measures in accordance with the conclusions of the European Council to quickly stop the flow of migrants, border protection, illegal migration reduction and protection of the integrity of the Schengen zone.

In order to deal with the threats of violent extremism and the activities of foreign terrorist fighters, the Macedonian President stressed the need for the OSCE programs on counter-radicalization and de-radicalization.

President Ivanov expressed his expectation for continued cooperation with the OSCE and support in areas such as rule of law, police, judiciary and promotion of inter-ethnic relations and coexistence.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent a letter to the members of the European Council, the President of the European Council, Mr. Donald Tusk, the Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, to the two strategic partners of the Republic of Macedonia, to the President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump, and to the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Below is the integral text of President Ivanov’s letter:

Your Excellency,

Anticipating the meeting of the European Council, let me inform you on the current situation and the latest developments in the Republic of Macedonia.

The Republic of Macedonia has been going through a deep political crisis for already two and a half years. With the facilitating role of the EU and the US, the Przino Agreement was reached in whose essence is the organization of fair and democratic early parliamentary elections and formation of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia that would primarily focus on urgent reform priorities.

On December 11, 2016, free, fair and democratic elections were held, which were welcomed by all sides. However, instead a way out of the crisis and focus on urgent reform priorities, we once again found ourselves in a deep political crisis. Namely, after the elections, three of the four parliamentary parties of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia, with 18 out of the total 120 MPs, facilitated by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama, and the Foreign Minister, in Tirana, created a platform for the Albanians in Macedonia.

The Tirana platform has become a precondition for the formation of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

The platform is a post-election document adopted in a foreign country, in the office of a foreign statesman, mediated by a Prime Minister of a foreign country. This platform endangers the sovereignty and independence of the state, bringing the Republic of Macedonia in a position of subordination or dependence in relation to another country. The implementation of the platform implies changes to the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia that would jeopardize the unitary character of the state. The platform violates the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which regulates the relations of the ethnic communities with the Republic of Macedonia and their mutual relations. Contrary to the Ohrid Framework Agreement, the platform is discriminatory towards all other ethnic communities since it prioritizes only one community. The Tirana platform further destabilizes the internal-political situation and increases the inter-ethnic tensions in the Republic of Macedonia.

The way it was adopted and the statements of the officials of the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Kosovo have negative impact on the neighborly relations and destabilize the region of Western Balkans. This platform has led us to a standstill it is difficult to get out from because of its ultimate and blackmailing nature.

Your Excelency,

In line with Article 84 paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, on March 1, 2017, I made a decision not to give the mandate for constituting the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to anyone who negotiates platforms of foreign countries that blackmail the Macedonian people, jeopardizes the integrity of the state, its sovereignty and independence. As President of the Republic of Macedonia, it is my constitutional duty to conform with the Constitution and laws and to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of Macedonia.

For all these things I have personally briefed Commissioner Hahn and the High Representative, Ms. Mogherini. I asked them to publicly and clearly condemn the platform as an act of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and as a document that further destabilizes the situation and subjects us to internal-political, inter-ethnic and possible geo-political influences. I reiterate that this document is of ultimate and blackmailing nature that suspends the Przino Agreement where the European Union has involved its entire foreign policy credibility.

I believe that condemnation and rejection of this document is the only way out of the hopeless situation in which we find ourselves. Only in this way we will achieve the goals of the Przino Agreement, primarily the urgent reform priorities, political stabilization, reduction of inter-party and inter-ethnic tensions in the Republic of Macedonia and return of the country on the path to the European and Euro-Atlantic integration. In this context, I ask you to carefully see the reality we are faced with and put your efforts this harmful platform to be publicly rejected and condemned by the European Union and NATO and their member states. Furthermore, I expect you to condemn the flagrant interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Macedonia by two of its neighbors - aspiring countries for full-fledged membership. Finally, I expect you to send a strong message to our vulnerable geo-political region for the inviolability of the borders in the Balkans and to reaffirm the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective of the countries from the region.

The absence of public condemnation of the Tirana platform by the international community would only encourage similar attempts in our and in other regions in Europe with a complex ethnic, religious and linguistic reality.

I truly believe that I will have your understanding. Please find enclose a copy of the said platform, as well as the statements by officials and institutions of the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Kosovo.

As President of the Republic of Macedonia, a longtime candidate for membership in the European Union and NATO, I expect your involvement and assistance since the future and the prospect of my fellow citizens are seriously challenged.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today Ms. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.

At the meeting they exchanged views on the political developments in the Republic of Macedonia, on the European prospects of the country, as well as on the migrant and refugee crisis.

The Macedonian President assessed that the status quo in the European integration of the Republic of Macedonia hinders the right to prosperity, enabling increased influence of other international actors.

"The EU must not allow this to continue and should finally identify the Balkans as one of its highest priorities. The EU should take immediate steps to strengthen the integration process of Macedonia, which is irreversible", President Ivanov said. Moreover, the Macedonian President noted that the opening of negotiations for membership of the Republic of Macedonia in the European Union will provide the necessary impetus to intensify the reform processes in these key areas and finalize the EU efforts to overcome the political crisis in the Republic of Macedonia.

Regarding his latest decision, President Ivanov said that, under the Constitution, as mandator to constitute the government, he will not appoint anyone who negotiates platforms of other countries in which Macedonia is blackmailed, the sovereignty, independence and unity of the state are threatened.

"The post-election platform undermines the Constitution and the Ohrid Framework Agreement and Macedonia is put into a position of subordination and dependence in relation to another country. The citizens voted at the elections for European reform, not for a post-election platform of a foreign state", President Ivanov said.

The Macedonian President pointed to the absence of official public reaction that would condemn such interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Macedonia.

"The absence of public denouncement regarding the flagrant interference in the internal affairs of Macedonia creates problems and leads to a wider destabilization, and some unconstructive statements deepen the crisis. This is a chance the EU to publicly and clearly condemn the interference in the internal politics of Macedonia and to reiterate its support for the inviolability of the borders in the Balkans", the Macedonian President said. He noted that this may be a negative precedent that can also be used in the future by other countries.

The High Representative, Ms Mogherini, noted that she has a full understanding of the complexity of the situation and the role of President Ivanov in dealing with the political challenges. She said she understands the legal and political aspects relevant for overcoming the political situation and added she is willing to help the current political crisis not to become an inter-ethnic or even a geopolitical crisis. Ms. Mogherini said she believed that the political factors in the Republic of Macedonia can find a way out of the situation.

Referring to the statements of respect for the rule of law in the Republic of Macedonia, President Ivanov stressed that we are tired of double standards, noting that the ruling of the International Court of Justice is not respected. The Macedonian President emphasized the need of organizing a census in the Republic of Macedonia.

In terms of the migrant and refugee crisis, President Ivanov stressed that it is necessary as soon as possible to complete the constitutive session of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia so that, if necessary, it can prolong the declared crisis situation due to the illegal migration.