The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, hosted today a traditional working lunch with the ambassadors of the Visegrad Group countries, accredited in the Republic of Macedonia.

The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, H.E. Mr. Jacek Multanowski, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Ramesh, the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic, H.E. Dr. Martin Bezak and the Ambassador of Hungary, H.E. Mr. Laszlo Istvan Dux.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the opportunities to enhance cooperation, on the current political situation in the Republic of Macedonia, on the process of integration into the EU and NATO, as well as on the challenges facing the European Union and Europe and on the positions of the Visegrad Group countries in terms of the key challenges.
Regarding the political situation, the meeting noted that crucial for the Republic of Macedonia is to overcome the political crisis and formation of a government as soon as possible, committed to the European agenda and the economic, with a capacity to deal with the challenges of migrant and security crisis. The Ambassadors agreed that a step forward is necessary in the country's European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

President Ivanov welcomed the continued support of the Visegrad Group countries to maintain the momentum of the EU enlargement process and the strong support for prompt commencement of negotiations for membership of the Republic of Macedonia.

The Macedonian President thanked for the personal engagement and commitment of the Ambassadors in promoting the relations with the Republic of Macedonia, as well as for the consistent support from these countries in dealing with the migrant crisis.

The Ambassadors reaffirmed the commitments to continue the cooperation in dealing with the migrant crisis and the security challenges of the Central and Eastern Europe.

The meeting discussed the upcoming activities and plans for the exchange of visits at the highest level between the Republic of Macedonia and the Visegrad Group countries.