The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov today received Mr. Richard Howitt, European Parliament Rapporteur on the Republic of Macedonia.

At the meeting, President Ivanov stressed that the European Parliament, as a body representing the will of the citizens of the European Union, is a constant friend of Macedonia and a strong supporter of our European integration processes. MP Howitt and President Ivanov agreed that the future of Macedonia and of the region is to be united within the European Union, in a process enabling mutual misunderstandings and differences to be overcome.

President Ivanov underlined that Macedonia has met the criteria for launching talks with the European Union and that the name issue with Greece is the only obstacle on this path. President Ivanov pointed out the successful model of talks between Croatia and Slovenia as an example in which the bilateral dispute between two countries did not hamper the accession talks between Croatia and the EU. President Ivanov assessed that such a model could be applied in settling the dispute, which stands in the way of Macedonia’s integration due to Greece.