The President of the Republic of Macedonia today received the Letters of Credence of the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Peru, H.E. Mr. Jose Antonio Arrospide del Busto and the Letters of Credence of the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, H.E. Ms. Anick van Calster.

At the ceremonies of presenting the credentials, President Ivanov congratulated the newly appointed ambassadors on their mission and wished them success in performing ambassadorial duty and in their future endeavors.

At the meeting with the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Peru, President Ivanov expressed interest in deepening cooperation at bilateral and multilateral level.

“Despite regional belonging to two different geographical units, I am strongly convinced that there is a common interest among the governments and the two friendly countries, for further joint efforts in promoting relations and cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, both at bilateral and multilaterally level”, the Macedonian President said in his address.

“I will do all my best for deepening and extending the links between our countries at all levels, including the political dialogue, the economic-commercial relations, the technical and scientific cooperation and the cultural relationship”, Ambassador Arrospide del Busto said, conveying greetings from the President of the Republic of Peru, Mr. Ollanta Humala.

At the meeting with the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, Ms. Anick Van Calster, the two interlocutors confirmed the interest for continuous improvement of mutual relations and intensifying cooperation, especially in the economic sphere. At the same time, President Ivanov stressed the need for support from the Kingdom of Belgium regarding the upcoming December Council meeting with a view to setting a date for starting accession negotiations for EU membership.

"The Republic of Macedonia today is a country that has met all criteria for membership in the Alliance, and we are ready to start accession negotiations with the European Union. Madam Ambassador, availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to extend my gratitude for all the support given so far from your country, and especially for the support of the Republic of Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. I hope that this support will be shown in the following particularly important period for the Republic of Macedonia", President Ivanov said in his address at the ceremony of presenting the credentials.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom Belgium stressed that her country particularly appreciates the efforts of President Ivanov to continue building a peaceful and harmonious society based on inclusive democratic model of integration without assimilation and noted that Belgium remains convinced that the future of the Balkans is within the European Union.

"While we believe that a bilateral dispute, without direct link with the accession negotiations should not interfere in any way on the integration process, we still invite the parties involved to maintain the dialogue in order to find a constructive solution", Ambassador Anick Van Calster said in her address.