The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Josef Amrani and the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia, H.E. Mr. Arti Hilpus.

In the welcome addresses at the ceremony of presenting their credentials, President Ivanov wished them welcome and success in the execution of their ambassadorial duty.

At the meeting with the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia, the interlocutors reaffirmed the excellent relations at the political level and expressed expectation for deepening of the overall relations between the two countries and strengthening of cooperation in areas of mutual interest, especially in the field of information technology since the Republic of Estonia is regarded European leader in this area.

“The Republic of Macedonia is strongly committed and adamantly yields on the attainment of its strategic goals: membership in the European Union, NATO, development of good neighborly relations and regional cooperation, policy of openness to all. I believe that the Republic of Estonia, as before, will continue to support the strategic foreign policy goals of the Republic of Macedonia and to properly value our progress and achievements”, President Ivanov said, expressing appreciation for the support of the Republic of Estonia so far to the Macedonian Euro-Atlantic integration, expressing interest in sharing Estonian experience in this field.

Ambassador Hilpus reaffirmed the support for Macedonia’s EU integration, stressing that Estonia believes that Macedonia is ready to start negotiations for membership in the European Union at the end of this year and that the accession process and the future reforms shall not be hindered by the name dispute. Ambassador Hilpus expressed strong support for Macedonia’s membership in NATO, noting that Macedonia deserves recognition for the efforts made in the pre-accession process.

“We want to see Macedonia as a member of the Alliance”, Ambassador Hilpus said, adding that from all the countries of the Western Balkans, Macedonia is the most active partner of Estonia and conveyed greetings and congratulations from the Estonian President on the occasion of Independence Day.

At the meeting with the newly appointed Ambassador of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Josef Amrani, it was concluded that a high level of political relations has been reached between the two countries, satisfaction with the excellent multilateral relations was expressed and interest in continuing the trend of exchange of visits at a high and the highest level between the two countries.

"According to me, priority in the relations between the two countries in the coming period should be further promotion of economic cooperation, strengthening of trade exchange and further increase of Israeli investments in Macedonia. I am particularly pleased with the strengthening and broadening of the legal framework between the Republic of Macedonia and the State of Israel", President Ivanov said in his welcome address.

As a diplomat and Ambassador I assure you, Mr. President, that I will be an avid student of your country's politics and interests, nature and culture landscape, economy and society and, most important, a friend who is available and accessible in building cooperation. Modern diplomacy should be based on identifying common grounds, interests and needs. No one can decide or judge for someone else its priorities and policies; rather, we should learn from each other's experiences and share know-how with friendly nations, Ambassador Amrani said at the ceremony, conveying assurances of highest consideration on behalf of the Israeli President Shimon Peres.

President Ivanov informed the interlocutor on the foreign policy goals of the Republic of Macedonia. Both interlocutors exchanged views on the situation in the SEE region as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.