The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today, in his Cabinet received a delegation of the Swedish-Macedonian friendship group of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sweden.

President Ivanov hailed the recent establishment of the Swedish-Macedonian friendship group and expressed belief that the activities of the group will contribute for even more productive bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Kingdom of Sweden.

President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the principled and constructive support of the Kingdom of Sweden for Macedonia’s integration into the European Union, especially in the period of the Swedish Presidency in 2009. He emphasized the important role played by the Swedish leadership for receiving positive report by the European Commission, as well as the contribution to the visa free regime for the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.

The talks focused on prospects for getting a date for launching EU accession negotiations, considering the Swedish Government’s position, voiced after the judgment of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, that conditions have already been created to open negotiations with the Republic of Macedonia.

The President and the MPs discussed the prospects for enhanced cooperation in other spheres such as trade exchange, tourism, culture, defense, as well as mutual support in multilateral organizations.

At the meeting, President Ivanov underlined that there is numerous Macedonian community in Sweden, which is indeed the bridge which will always bind the two friendly countries.