The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov received today representatives of the expert delegation from the Russian company GAZPROM.

The meeting was also attended by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Zoran Stavreski. The ways how to improve the cooperation between Macedonia and Russia were discussed, primarily in the energy sector, as well as the conditions to include the Republic of Macedonia in the international energy corridor "South Stream" with a possibility for construction of a branch through the territory of Macedonia.

The members of the expert delegation of the Russian company GAZPROM expressed their satisfaction with the construction of a gas pipeline network in the Republic of Macedonia, demonstrating full preparedness for cooperation and informing President Ivanov on the agenda of their visit to the Republic of Macedonia, which aimed at determining conditions for the start of this project.

President Ivanov expressed Republic of Macedonia's political willingness and support to realize this project, which would enable energy stability of the Republic of Macedonia in the upcoming decades and extended his conviction that conditions had been created for GAZPROM to take part in the construction of the gas pipeline network in the Republic of Macedonia, for which both sides demonstrated full readiness for cooperation.

President Ivanov's meeting with GAZPROM expert delegation comes following the visit of President Ivanov and Vice Prime Minister Stavreski to the Russian Federation in June this year, when the clearing agreement was signed and a meeting was held with GAZPROM CEO, Mr. Alexei Miller.