The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov today received representatives of the European Parliament and members of the group “Friends of Macedonia”, Richard Howitt, Eduard Kukan and Alois Peterle.

President Ivanov welcomed the activities of the group, the engagement and the strong support for immediate implementation of the recommendation of the European Commission to start accession negotiations with Macedonia. President Ivanov and the MEPs Howitt, Kukan and Peterle agreed that Macedonia is waiting too long to open negotiations and that it is necessary to overcome this situation.

At the meeting, the assessments and recommendations presented in the draft Resolution of the European Parliament on the progress of the Republic of Macedonia in 2011 were reviewed. The President stressed that the inclusion of the judgment of the International Court of Justice in the Resolution is a call to the involved parties to respect the judgment, and a positive incentive to intensify dialogue and resolve the name dispute. President Ivanov stressed that the ruling of The Hague provides a framework for determining the direction of future policies on both sides, and is a key argument to continue Macedonia’s integration processes in parallel with the talks on finding an acceptable solution to the name row - a model that is highlighted in the draft Resolution of the European Parliament.

President Ivanov assessed highly the use of the adjective “Macedonian” in the draft Resolution of the European Parliament. He noted that the use of the adjective in the Resolution and its free usage in the informal communication in the European Parliament finds a positive reaction among the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia. According to President Ivanov, this brings hope that in the future reports the European Commission will comply with this practice too, and that the omission of the adjective “Macedonian” will no longer be the case.

President Ivanov and the MEPs Howitt, Kukan and Peterle discussed other issues related to the reform process and the readiness of the Republic of Macedonia to start negotiations for membership in the European Union. President Ivanov said that Macedonia is ready, as before, to exert all necessary efforts to meet the standards required for European Union membership.