Distinguished guests,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to Macedonia, the land of hospitality, competitiveness and opportunity. It is a pleasure and honor to greet you at the Macedonia Global Investment Summit, here, in Ohrid where knowledge and experience have over a course of millennia crossed paths, been transmitted between the East and the West.

These are great days for my country, to see you all gathered here. We have worked very hard in order to present you with the competitive possibilities of the Macedonian economy.


Dear friends,

Traditional Macedonian hospitality has always focused on benevolent foreign travelers. Our modern economy is welcoming each businessman, entrepreneur and company wishing to invest in the Republic of Macedonia.

A good host knows the needs and wants of his guests. Hence, we are continuously improving the business climate, investment opportunities and global competitiveness of the Macedonian economy.

This is especially true of the organizers of this Second Global Investment Summit, the Macedonia 2025 group. The Macedonian citizens and I personally are grateful for their support and vision for a prosperous economic climate in the country. Their restless enthusiasm inspires and motivates us to work even harder in making Macedonia an investor's paradise.

Distinguished guests,

Tonight we are having this Gala dinner on the shores of Lake Ohrid, which is replenished by many springs which flow in from the surrounding mountains. This reminds us that capital is like water. It never moves uphill, and it prefers the path of least resistance. This is especially true in our age of great challenges, a time of acceleration of the global race for competitiveness. Several years ago, Macedonia took up the challenge and joined this global race. Since then, we have been advancing in several economic, business and investment aspects.

In a time of global financial and economic crisis, governments learned the importance of economy, of cooperation and partnership with the business communities. Countries learned the importance of regional infrastructural and energy projects. With their measures, the Governments of several countries in the region of South-East Europe are working on one such project: the connecting of the Adriatic-Ionian Transport Corridor with Corridors 8 and 10; A project that will make the entire region more competitive than other regions.

Through persistent reforms, we have made straight the paths for the flow of capital. We have lowered and flattened taxes, balanced the public finances with low budget deficit, stable currency and low public debt. We have a long-lasting macroeconomic stability. Through the regulatory guillotine, we have made sure to remove every legal and administrative barrier that could stand in the way of potential investors. You already know the high scores of the Macedonian economy.

Human capital is in the core of the reforms. Before I became President, I was a University Professor and I know that the greatest value is the human mind, intellect, diligence and creativity.

Human capital is our greatest potential, strength and resource; a potential that needs to be used in order to bring fruits.

Aware of this, we are creating environment for growth and further development of human capital, as an essential asset for your, the foreign investors. However, we do not wish just to have springs of capital pouring in the bed of the Macedonian economy. We want that capital to flow through the turbines of human capital power-plant that would transform, utilize and maximize the true potential of your capital invested.

In Macedonia you will find the right conditions for starting a great and promising collaboration in the fields of innovation, science, research and development, which are high on our agenda. In Macedonia you will find reliable business partners and loyal employees. We have relatively young, highly-educated work force that is talented and hard working.

We devote a lot of time and energy in selecting the very best individuals that will one day take the leadership positions in every sphere of society. Through the School for Young Leaders, we invest in the leaders of tomorrow, providing them not only with knowledge, but practical skills and experiences, so they can ignite the country's economic and social welfare. By awarding their talents, we encourage young scientists and open-minded innovators, whose discoveries and ideas can change lives and bring profit. The newly adopted Law on Innovative Activities allows for a greater cooperation between key stakeholders – private enterprise, academia and the government.

However, our investment power-plant can produce energy only with capital streaming through its turbines. We had the channels, the dam, the generator and wires, but we did not have enough capital. It is you, the foreign investors, who stimulate the transfer of know-how and foster innovation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Aware of this great opportunity that lies ahead of us, I encourage the companies to strengthen their cooperation with the universities and academic centers in the field of innovation, science and research and development.

I encourage our Universities to use the legal framework, and to continue building technological parks, start-up accelerators and other innovational projects, thus fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of the youth.

Last, but not least, I encourage the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to continue creating the right conditions for practical synergy among the key stakeholders.

This is how we will create a successful knowledge-based economy, economy that will lead the global competitiveness race for decades to come.

Thank you.