The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the occasion of the terrorist attacks in Volgograd, sent a letter of condolences to the President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin.

Distinguished Mr. President,

With profound sadness and bitterness I received the news of the terrorist attacks in Volgograd, the Russian Federation, and I sincerely regret the loss of lives in this criminal act.

In these sad moments for you, for the citizens of your country and the families of the victims and the wounded, let me extend, on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and on my personal behalf, deepest condolences. I would like to assure you that the Macedonians, in their thoughts, are with you and the friendly Russian people.

Mr. President , this dreadful act, and, in general, all cowardly acts of terrorism aimed at sowing fear and sense of insecurity, with innocent people as victims, will not waver us in our persistence in preserving the shared human and civilization values and gains. On the contrary, this global challenge requires a global response, cooperation and mutual support.

Please, Mr. President, convey the expressions of sympathy to the families of the victims.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, held a meeting today with the heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices of the Republic of Macedonia abroad.

At the meeting, the Macedonian diplomats informed President Ivanov on their activities during 2013 and exchanged opinions and suggestions how to improve Macedonian diplomacy.

Key topic of the meeting was the most important foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Macedonia and the challenges faced. President Ivanov presented the positions, considerations and expectations of the state leadership for the next 2014.

The President expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the Macedonian diplomacy in the affirmation of the Republic of Macedonia, its achievements, its gains and values, as well as its contribution in creating a positive image of the country internationally.

The Macedonian President urged further utmost commitment of the diplomatic network in promoting the position of the Republic of Macedonia in terms of its strategic foreign policy goals, and in promoting the constructiveness of the state in the regional initiatives and the ongoing contributions and specific activities in building good neighborly relations.

For a credible diplomacy, President Ivanov reaffirmed the position for a greater freedom in the actions taken by the Macedonian diplomats, accompanied by stricter control and assessment of their work. Moreover, the need to strengthen the activities of the diplomats in the economic development of the country and to promote the economic potentials of the Republic of Macedonia was emphasized in order to attract foreign investment in the country. President Ivanov stressed the importance of enhanced public diplomacy. "We have to find a way, all the successes of Macedonia, regardless of the field, to be affirmed in the public and professional field of the host-country. The expectation that others would do the work that needs to be done by the Macedonian diplomacy, or the insufficient presence in the public diplomacy is not a luxury that we can not afford", President Ivanov stressed before diplomats.

In terms of the Macedonian national minority, the need for greater efforts was highlighted to unite the Diaspora, overcome problems and improve the situation of the Macedonian national minority in certain countries, and their commitment towards the economic development of the country.

President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the achieved good coordination of the diplomatic network with the relevant institutions in the country, but said that in this regard there is still room for further improvement.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the occasion of the New 2014, pardoned 53 convicted persons, 11 of them are fully acquitted, while the prison sentence for the rest 42 is reduced.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent greetings to all Christian believers who celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar.

Dear All,

It is my honor and pleasure, in these festive days, to congratulate you the coming great Christian holiday, the Feast of the Nativity of Christ - Christmas.

This great celebration of love, peace and helping has taught us to live in forgiveness and mercy, to follow the highest moral laws in us and to act in harmony with the principles of truth.

Christmas is a time of tranquility, unity and good deeds. Time when we give our closest love and kindness. Time to reaffirm our sincere commitment to foster and respect religious diversity and religious specificities as the supreme value of the Macedonian multi-ethnic, multi-confessional and multi-lingual society.

Congratulating the Day of the Nativity of Christ-Christmas to all Macedonian citizens who celebrate it according to the Gregorian calendar, may we continue to spread the Christmas message of the truth of the faith we cherish. This Christmas again, may the light and warmth fill our homes and bring personal and family happiness, faith in ourselves and in others, and creative energy to contribute to the overall progress of our homeland Macedonia!

Christ is Born!
Indeed, He is Born!

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the eve of December 21st, the Day of Education in Turkish language, today met representatives of the Coalition of Turkish NGO's - MATUSITEB.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Tahsin Ibrahim, Chairman of MATUSITEB, and members of the board of the organization, Mr. Shenol Tahir, Mr. Hushref Emin and Mr. Hayati Saban, and views were exchanged on the situation of the Turkish community in the Republic of Macedonia.

President Ivanov stressed that the Republic of Macedonia highly appreciates the contribution that the members of this community provide for the overall development of the country and expressed hope that they will continue to cherish the Turkish tradition and contribute to a prosperous future for all citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as for deepening of the friendly relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey.

The interlocutors informed President Ivanov on MATUSITEB current activities, as well as the developments and challenges in the process of education and teaching in Turkish. The meeting also praised the importance that the Republic of Macedonia assigns to the right to education in mother tongue, as well as the continued efforts by the President for equal status of the members of all ethnic communities in the country and to protection of their culture and tradition.

On the occasion of the Day of Education in Turkish Language, December 21st, President Ivanov sent congratulation message to the members of the Turkish community in the Republic of Macedonia.

Respected fellow citizens,

Let me congratulate the Day of the Education in Turkish Language to all members of the Turkish community in the Republic of Macedonia.

The language is the soul of a nation. It expresses national and cultural features, identity and spiritual heritage of the country. Diversity, mix of cultures and religions makes us special, and our mutual respect and trust give us the right to say that we have created a solid bridge for mutual cooperation and partnership. Indicative of this is the good cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey, as witnessed by the numerous jointly implemented projects. Our trump is the tradition that connects and binds us at the same time to promote jointly the interests and cultural values as part of our common future.

The possibility that the Turks have, as well as the other communities in the Republic of Macedonia, to be educated and to speak their mother language, speaks enough for the universal values that we stand for and the democratic specificity we have been creating for centuries.

Congratulating you the Day of Education in Turkish Language, I would like to emphasize that in the future, as before, we will strive to enhance the social processes of nurturing and promoting cultural characteristics and traditions of the Turkish community in Macedonia.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today in a farewell meeting the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Janusz Bolonek.

President Ivanov expressed his gratitude for the ongoing engagement of Archbishop Janusz Bolonek in promoting and fostering relations between Macedonia and the Holy See.

The meeting confirmed the strong ties between the Republic of Macedonia and the Holy See and mutual understanding, and opinions were exchanged on the possible implementation of certain initiatives that would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Holy See.

Archbishop Janusz Bolonek commended on the continued commitment of President Ivanov to strengthening inter-religious dialogue, tolerance and respect for diversity in the Republic of Macedonia.