The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, met today with the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey, General Necdet Ozel.

The meeting expressed satisfaction with the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, confirmed by the intensive political cooperation and continuous high-level meetings. Both interlocutors expressed their willingness to further strengthen relations and to expand and deepen cooperation.

President Ivanov assessed as particularly important the support of the Republic of Turkey in terms of Republic of Macedonia's aspirations for membership in NATO. In this context, it was highlighted that the Turkish Embassy in Skopje, since the beginning of this year, is NATO contact embassy.

The meeting highlighted the intense level of cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence, through regular contacts at the level of defence ministries and at army level.

President Ivanov stressed that one of the strategic priorities of the Republic of Macedonia is regional cooperation and its intensification in the field of economy, energy, infrastructure and in other fields.

The Macedonian President informed the guests from the Republic of Turkey about the upcoming Summit of the South-East Europe Cooperation Process and the Forum of the Dialogue of Civilizations, scheduled to take place on June 1st and 2nd, in Ohrid and Struga.