The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today in a farewell meeting the Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Mr. Fabio Christiani.

At the meeting, President Ivanov expressed his appreciation for the contribution of Ambassador Christiani in the development of the bilateral relations and in the intensification of the cooperation between the two countries and expressed his expectation that the traditionally close and friendly relations with the Italian Republic will continue in the future by expanding the cooperation in all spheres of common interest.

The Macedonian President expressed hope that the Republic of Macedonia in the future can count on the support of the Italian Republic in terms of its Euro-Atlantic integration, adding that the Republic of Macedonia should get the opportunity to contribute to the positive trend in the Balkans, by being assigned a date to start accession negotiations with the European Union.

At the meeting, the two interlocutors reaffirmed the interest to deepen the economic cooperation between the two countries and the cooperation at multilateral level.

Expressing his gratitude for the current involvement and good cooperation, President Ivanov wished Ambassador Christiani success in his future work and sent greetings to the President of the Italian Republic, Mr. Giorgio Napolitano, with an expectation for a meeting soon.