The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, is paying a working visit to the Republic of Turkey today and, within the visit, in Istanbul, he met with the President of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At the meeting, the two presidents expressed satisfaction with the high level of overall bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey, with the high level of political dialogue and trust, and the absence of outstanding issues.

They both appraised the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries and expressed readiness for further development of the cooperation in all spheres of mutual interest, with a special emphasis on the economic cooperation. The rapid and dynamic growth of the Turkish economy opens up major investment opportunities in the Republic of Macedonia, which is in the interest of both countries, was stated at the meeting.

During the talks, the presidents exchanged views and information on several issues: the current political situation, the foreign - policy objectives and priorities of the two countries and the situation with the migrant crisis.

President Ivanov expressed his expectation that the Republic of Turkey, in anticipation of the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw, will continue its strong and open support for membership of the Republic of Macedonia in NATO. "If the Alliance fails to build consensus on reviewing the conclusions of the Bucharest Summit, despite the ICJ ruling, and does not correct the error and injustice of Bucharest, then we expect it to be creative and find a way to bridge this status - quo, which is not in favor of the Republic of Macedonia, the region or the Alliance itself", President Ivanov said.

The two presidents exchanged information on the latest developments regarding the refugee crisis, being the biggest challenge facing the region, the European Union and Europe at present. The Macedonian President informed President Erdogan on the measures and activities taken by the Republic of Macedonia in dealing with the crisis, as well as on the needs for greater technical and financial assistance. President Ivanov said that enhanced cooperation is necessary between the countries in the region in the context of constant information sharing and prevention of the threats and risks of illegal migration. In this context, the two presidents stressed that all countries are affected by the refugee crisis and must share responsibility and respect the common policies to tackle the crisis, while protecting their national security.

The occasion for the visit of President Ivanov to Istanbul was his presence at the funeral of Mr. Ibrahim Cevahir, a Turkish businessman and owner of the "Cevahir Holding", a great friend of the Republic of Macedonia and investor in our country.