The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Igor Crnadak, who is paying an official visit to the Republic of Macedonia.

The meeting discussed the traditionally good bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the regional cooperation and initiatives, as well as the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the two countries.

President Ivanov and Minister Crnadak expressed mutual interest in strengthening and deepening of the bilateral cooperation, which they assessed as successful and without outstanding issues. In this context, President Ivanov stressed the necessity of intensifying the political dialogue between the two countries, and said that the visit of Minister Crnadak is a concrete confirmation of the mutual efforts in that direction.

In terms of the economic cooperation, the interlocutors agreed that the political cooperation is lagging behind and does not correspond to the objective capacities of the two economies, and thus expressed mutual interest in its further intensification and deepening.

President Ivanov and Minister Crnadak agreed that the EU and NATO integration of the Western Balkans are needed not only for increased cooperation in all fields of interest of the countries in the region, but also for the strong support in the reform processes in our societies and thus must be accelerated. The Republic of Macedonia, President Ivanov said, is ready for a closer cooperation between the two countries in the context of the EU accession process.

At the meeting they exchanged views and information on the current challenges related to the migrant crisis.