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.