The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Mr. Rathakit Manathat.

At the official ceremony of presenting the credentials, President Ivanov expressed his satisfaction with the appointment of the first non-resident Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Republic of Macedonia and wished him success in the execution of his highly esteemed and responsible mission.

At the meeting, the Macedonian President expressed readiness for further improvement and intensification of bilateral relations between the two countries, which are characterized by friendship and mutual understanding and expressed interest in intensifying and strengthening of the economic cooperation with Thailand.

"In this context, I voice my support for the initiatives aimed at strengthening of the legal framework between the Republic of Macedonia and the Kingdom of Thailand. At the same time, I express readiness for cooperation at multilateral level", the Macedonian President said in his address, adding that the Republic of Macedonia appreciates the gesture that the diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Thailand have been established under the constitutional name of our country.

Emphasizing that he is honored to be the first Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Republic of Macedonia, Ambassador Manathat said that he would invest all his efforts to deepen the relations between the two countries and two peoples and stressed that Thailand, as a country located in the heart of Asia, can be a bridge for economic cooperation of the Republic of Macedonia with the countries of this part of the world.

"One of the most effective ways to strengthen our economic cooperation is through signing and implementation of economic agreements. Both sides expect the draft versions of the free trade agreement, the agreement for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion, the agreement on promotion and protection of investments and the air traffic agreement to be finalized and their implementation to begin as soon as possible", Ambassador Manathat said and conveyed greetings from the King of Thailand.

Both interlocutors shared the view that despite the geographical distance, there is a common desire and potential for further comprehensive development and improvement of bilateral relations and cooperation in various areas, tourism, culture, health, science and industry.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today had a meeting with members of a delegation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

It was concluded at the meeting that the good bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Russian Federation and between the parliaments of the two countries, have a positive impact on the overall cooperation.

The Macedonian President said that the Republic of Macedonia attaches particular importance to strengthening and promoting friendly relations with the Russian Federation and expressed satisfaction with the continuous political dialogue and intensified visits and contacts at all levels in the past period.

President Ivanov welcomed the parliamentary cooperation and was informed of the possibilities for its enhancement, as well as of the possibilities for signing new bilateral agreements in order to promote cooperation in a number of areas of common interest.

In this regard, the meeting stressed the need to promote economic cooperation, especially in the field of energy and investment. The Macedonian President welcomed the growing interest of Russian investors in our country and emphasized the importance of the inclusion of the Republic of Macedonia in the "South Stream" pipeline, which will contribute to even greater movement of the economic cooperation between the two countries as well as for the long-term energy stability of the country.

In anticipation of the celebration of the 20th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the possibilities for exchange visits of the Macedonian President to the Russian Federation or the Russian President to the Republic of Macedonia. Moreover, President Ivanov reaffirmed the open invitation to the President of the Russian Federation to visit the Republic of Macedonia.

State Duma representatives noted that the Russian Federation is willing to deepen the cooperation with the Republic of Macedonia. At the same time, they expressed interest to increase parliamentary cooperation and agreed that, given the traditionally good relations, the two countries have good perspective and cooperation in all areas.

At the meeting, President Ivanov expressed his satisfaction with the principled position of the Russian Federation in relation to the usage of our constitutional name. In order to strengthen bilateral relations, the interlocutors discussed the possibilities for reciprocal visa facilitation that apply to citizens of the Russian Federation.

State Duma representatives extended invitation to President Ivanov to attend the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent a message of congratulations to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias, on the occasion of the National Day of the Hellenic Republic.

Your Excellency,

I would like to extend cordial congratulations, on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and on my personal behalf, on the occasion of the National Day of the Hellenic Republic, with cordial wishes for further prosperity of your country and welfare of your people.

Availing myself of this solemn opportunity, I would like to emphasize the strong commitment of the Republic of Macedonia to promoting good neighborly relations and cooperation with your country, in the interest of the people of our two countries. I assume that we can be satisfied that our two societies and economies successfully cooperate. What we have as an obligation and responsibility, as Heads of State, and our Governments, is to encourage and create even more favorable conditions for overall cooperation, whereas there are excellent potentials to do so. We are, indeed, fully prepared.

At the same time, I would like to refer to my strong conviction that, with joint efforts, we can provide a significant contribution to the achievement of the shared vision for peace, stability, prosperity and welfare in the region, as part of the great European and Euro-Atlantic family.

With such a conviction, congratulating you once again the National Day, I renew to you, esteemed Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the occasion of the Passover sent a congratulation message to the Jewish community members in the Republic of Macedonia.

Dear All,

It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and on my personal behalf, to extend my cordial congratulations on the occasion of the great Jewish holiday Passover to all members of the Jewish community.

Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery and the meaning of this holiday is inspiration to all freedom-loving peoples. The contribution that many Jews gave to freedom, development and progress of the Republic of Macedonia is invaluable. I am convinced that the Jewish community will continue to contribute to building a modern and prosperous Macedonia.

My earnest wish is that you spend this holiday in peace, happiness and prosperity.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, held a working visit to the Intelligence Agency of the Republic of Macedonia.

During the visit, President Ivanov met with the Director of the Intelligence Agency and the Heads of the Directorates within the Intelligence Agency, who informed him on the ongoing and planned activities in 2013.

The Director of the Intelligence Agency presented the 2013 Work Program of the IA and the 2012Annual Report on the activities of the IA. Regarding the implementation of the activities, the Intelligence Agency is focused on the regional political processes and on identifying threats and risks to the regional security, as well as the threats and risks to the national security of the Republic of Macedonia.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, had a farewell meeting with the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Ms. Olfat Abdel Fattah Ahhmed Farah.

At the meeting, President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with the Ambassador and her involvement in boosting bilateral relations between the two countries. The Macedonian President expressed hope that her successor will work on the development of bilateral relations and deepening of the cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

In order to further strengthen the bilateral relations, the Macedonian President stressed the importance of formal recognition of our constitutional name by the Government of Egypt.

Joint conclusion from the meeting was that the cooperation between the two countries in the future should aim at strengthening the economy and increasing the trade exchange, cooperation in culture, education, whereas President Ivanov stressed the need to strengthen the legal framework in order to promote the overall cooperation .

Both interlocutors exchanged views and information on the current situation in Egypt and the region. Moreover, President Ivanov expressed his expectation that the cooperation at multilateral level between the two countries will be further improved.