The President of the Republic of Macedonia Dr. Gjorge Ivanov sent a congratulation letter to Her Majesty Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark, on the occasion of her 40th jubilee on the throne:

Your Majesty,

It gives me great honor and pleasure, on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and on my personal behalf, to extend my most cordial congratulations on the occasion of Your 40th jubilee on the throne. Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to convey to You sincere wishes for good health and further personal happiness, as well as wishes for welfare and prosperity of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Characteristic for this period is that the monarchy connects the past traditions and the modern democracy. Therefore, I congratulate You on the successful governance and progress achieved in Your country.

I am strongly convinced that in the period ahead we will develop and strengthen the friendship between our two countries and peoples. I believe that with joint efforts we can contribute to deepening and intensification of the relations and cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Kingdom of Denmark in all spheres of mutual interest, both at bilateral and multilateral level. In this regard, I would like to assure You of my and the Republic of Macedonia’s readiness.

At the same time, I would like to congratulate You on taking over the presidency of the European Union. In this context, I hope that the successful project of enlargement of the European family will continue and that the Republic of Macedonia will be given the deserved and long expected date for start of accession negotiations. With respect to NATO, the Republic of Macedonia has fulfilled all the requirements and criteria for full-fledged membership and should take its rightful position even during the Summit in Chicago, and, to be successful in this, we need Your support, too.

With such a conviction, please, Your Majesty, accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov on the occasion of the great Christian holiday, Epiphany, sent a congratulation note to the Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia H.H. Stefan and to the Christian believers:

Your Holiness,

Let me extend my most sincere and cordial regards to you personally, to the members of the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and to all Orthodox believers in the Republic of Macedonia, on the occasion of the great Christian holiday - Epiphany.

Macedonia is a country where tradition lives and is the source of our strength and unity. Celebration of Epiphany is a testament to the depth and strength of our belief in unity and strength of spirit, repentance and purification, kindness and love among people.

Today, when Orthodox believers in Macedonia mark the day when St. John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the waters of the River Jordan, we dedicate ourselves to the objective to live according to centuries-old moral principles, to respect and support each other, to walk the path of light and mutual trust.

The traditions of our forefathers convey the secret for a happy and productive life. The symbolism of the purity of the water and in memory of the baptism of Jesus, may this great holiday be for all of us yet another strong incentive to live in peace and harmony, with sincere souls and pure thought.

I hope this holiday will bring peace, tranquility and family joy to all citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.

Many happy returns of this great Christian holiday Epiphany!

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov met today with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Philip Reeker.

The partnership between the Republic of Macedonia and the United States was confirmed at the meeting, as well as the readiness to further intensify cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Main discussion topic at the meeting was the latest developments in the talks with Greece aimed at solving the imposed name dispute, ahead of the NATO Summit in Chicago. President Ivanov briefed Reeker on the outcome of the meetings convened by Mediator Matthew Nimetz in New York. What leaves room for concerns regarding the latest developments according to President Ivanov is the lack of will among Greek leadership to be seriously engaged in addressing this issue. President Ivanov stressed that the objective political and economic problems that Greece is facing should not be justification for the Greek political leadership to avoid initiatives for finding a mutually acceptable solution and expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of the Greek authorities to stop the practice of direct meetings at the highest level between the two countries. President Ivanov reiterated the readiness of the Republic of Macedonia, as before, to actively and constructively participate in the UN-led process, and expressed his expectation that our neighbor will demonstrate responsible conduct, constructiveness and will fully comply with the Interim Accord and the ICJ ruling.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to exchange views and information on the efforts in finding a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue and on the expectations from the NATO Summit in Chicago. The meeting repeated the official US position that remains unchanged. Washington strongly supports Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, Macedonia meets the membership requirements, both parties are encouraged to reach a mutually acceptable solution that would unblock our NATO integration. Reeker stressed that the Macedonian reaction to the ruling was commendable and contributed to creating a more favorable atmosphere to overcome the dispute. It was concluded that both countries will continue to closely cooperate in to attain the ultimate goal, full-fledged NATO membership, and in this context, welcomed the long-term commitment and the high professionalism of Macedonian troops in international missions.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today received members of the delegation of the Turkish-Macedonian inter-parliamentary friendship group of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey.

The meeting concluded that the continuity of meetings and exchange of visits at all levels is a confirmation of the friendly relations and a strong signal for the further development of cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey.

As President Ivanov stressed, in the relations between the two countries extremely important segment is the parliamentary cooperation. Turkey is one of the most important economic and trade partners of Macedonia, and the partnership is expected to be further intensified.

President Ivanov said that he expects the cooperation between the two countries to continue to deepen, particularly in the areas of defense, culture, tourism. The President expressed satisfaction with the cooperation and mutual support within regional and multilateral organizations, as well as with the consistent and constructive support of the Republic of Turkey for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia.

President Ivanov was informed of the cooperation and activities of the group to strengthen friendship and overall parliamentary cooperation. Parliamentarians expressed their readiness to contribute to further strengthening of the relations and cooperation between the two countries in all spheres, as well as to strongly and principally support the Republic of Macedonia.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, in anticipation of the upcoming round of talks with Ambassador Matthew Nimetz, convened today a coordination meeting of top state officials regarding the course of the UN-mediated talks.

The coordination meeting was attended by the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, Trajko Veljanoski, the President of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski, the Vice Prime Minister, Musa Xhaferi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Popovski.

The Republic of Macedonia will continue to fully and committedly respect the framework in which negotiations with Greece are led on the name issue under UN auspices. Our interest is to find, as soon as possible, a mutually acceptable solution that would unblock our Euro-Atlantic integrations. The Republic of Macedonia, as before, will actively and constructively participate in the process, and, as a party that participates in the talks with a serious approach, expects and hopes for the same activity, strictness and constructiveness of the other side.

Republic of Macedonia’s state leadership expressed hope that the observance and effective implementation of the Interim Accord will contribute in creating a more positive climate for finding a solution in the UN-mediated process.

The Republic of Macedonia expects Greece to support our integration in international organizations and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia in accordance with the Interim Accord and the judgment of the International Court of Justice which are a vital part of the Macedonian approach to the settlement of this issue in accordance with the international law.

Republic of Macedonia’s top officials, in the spirit of understanding and mutual respect, call again for constructive conduct before the upcoming round of talks and extend hand of friendship and good neighborliness to Greece.

State leadership, considering the recent events on the Greek side, fears from stagnation of substantive talks. However, once again, readiness and openness is expressed to seriously intensify talks aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution.

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent a congratulation message to the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia H.H. Stephen and to all Christians on the occasion of Christ’s birth - Christmas.

Your Holiness,

With great pleasure and honor, to you personally and to the members of the Holy Synod, the clergy and all Orthodox believers of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, in the country and abroad, as well as to all Christians, I congratulate the great Christian holiday, the birth of Christ – Christmas! May we all spend these holidays in good health, joy and happiness!

With grateful prayers we shall remember the magnificent day when mankind received comfort and transmit the joyful news of Jesus’ birth in our family as a blessing for future generations.

In the spirit of Christianity, let me once again wish, peace and tranquility, joy and understanding, to enter the hearts of all believers and for us to continue giving unconditional love and respect to the loved ones as a foundation on which we will build Macedonian society and prosperity of every citizen in the Republic of Macedonia.

Have a happy holiday for many years!
Christ is Born!

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov