The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today Ms. Andreja Katic, Defense Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, who is paying an official visit to the Republic of Macedonia.

President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the overall bilateral relations between the two countries and welcomed the efforts to expand bilateral cooperation in the defense sector, as well as to strengthen the inter-army cooperation between the Republic Macedonia and the Republic Slovenia.

The Macedonian President expressed appreciation for the current open and unreserved support of the Republic of Slovenia in terms of Macedonia's aspirations for membership in NATO, as well as for the consistent support of the process of European integration of the Republic Macedonia.

At the meeting, they exchanged views on the developments in respect of the migrant and refugee crisis and the security challenges in Southeast Europe. The Macedonian President expressed satisfaction with the intensive contacts between the ministries, armed forces and other competent authorities of the two countries, aimed at preventing and managing the migrant crisis and undertaking joint actions in terms of a possible new wave of migrants on the Balkan route. Furthermore, President Ivanov expressed gratitude for the ongoing support from the Republic of Slovenia in dealing with the migrant crisis and for the presence of Slovenian police at the Macedonian-Greek border.

The interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the cooperation in various segments of the defense, the exchange of experiences and support for the reform and transformation of the defense sector in line with the NATO requirements. President Ivanov also expressed interest in increasing the participation of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia in the operations led by the United Nations through joint participation with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Slovenia.