Esteemed Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Every end means a new beginning. This is especially true for today's event, when I am given the honor to address the closing of the 18th International Conference on the Achievements in Data Bases and Information Systems - ADBIS and the opening of the 6th ITC Conference on Innovation.

On September 8, the Republic of Macedonia celebrated 23 years of independence. Years in which we are making sovereign decisions about our present and future. Celebrating the independence of Macedonia, we are aware of the growing interdependence of people, organizations and countries.

We live in a hyper-connected world of global and dynamic economy, exposed to constant change and uncertainty. We are witnessing an unprecedented technological progress, but also reconsiderations and paradoxes.

Social networks and cyber-communities constantly deepen and multiply.
Peoples and governments are in a quest for the golden mean between cyber-privacy and cyber-security.
Artificial intelligence is considered by ones the Holy Grail and Pandora's Box by ithers.
The gap in the debate over the robotics and ethics is expanding on a daily basis.

Besides the physical, the optical corridors and information intersections have a more noticeable role.

There are more than 1,500 Skype calls every second and 7,600 tweets are being posted.

Every second, there is 23,000 GB Internet traffic, 45,000 Google searches, 88,000 videos watched on YouTube.
Over 2 million e-mails are being sent every second.
By the end of my short speech, there will be 1,300 new Internet users worldwide, thus all the previously mentioned statistics will change.

Esteemed Excellencies,

The Internet has become the spine and nervous system of globalization.

While science and technology are changing the world swiftly, our lives, needs, goals and habits, still one thing remains unchanged - and that is the need for greater predictability. Predictability on which our individual and collective progress, investment, production, profit and quality of life depend. We need this predictability in order to create a sustainable and competitive economy and society of welfare.

To have the future in the Republic of Macedonia, to be engaged in more serious reform processes in all areas.
The reform implies a form and the form means that we want to change the world around us, to change Macedonia based on a specific vision, something that we have already imagined. To have a competitive economy, a favorable business climate, efficient public administration, advanced information society, quality education ... All that is necessary for Macedonia to be a successful country, a country where people can be successful.

In an effort to attain the future, we are guided by our highest values, standards and criteria. We are guided by the idea that the human capital is our most valuable resource and potential to be used to bring rich fruit.

In the race against the time, we know that one of the shorter avenues to achieve these goals is to focus on the information and communication technologies.

Information technology can be a generator of economic growth in the country and a means for achieving social welfare.

All countries that have achieved significant growth and managed to jump dozens of places forward in the world rankings share one thing in common. All of those countries are advanced information and communication technology users.

Unlike other technologies, when it comes to the information technologies, the country does not have to be an inventor of new technologies, it does not necessarily have to be a producer in order to progress economically. It is enough to be an advanced user of information technology.

Distinguished Guests,

The future is happening as we speak. The new changes in modern technology will indeed come with or without us. Societies that are increasingly becoming digitized are ahead of the others and they will taste the fruits of this process of development and application of information and communication technologies. The question is whether we will wait others to offer us solutions or are we going to be part of those solutions that are needed by the world.

Therefore, we need structural adjustment. It is necessary to invest more in education, science and research. To make Macedonia part of regional educational, scientific and research projects. We need leadership in innovation and innovative companies.

It is necessary to overcome the gap between the academia and the business sector, between the scientific research and the market.

I encourage all companies to strengthen their cooperation with the universities and academic centers in the part of innovation, science, research and development.

I encourage our universities to use the legal framework and continue building technological parks, start-up accelerators and other creative projects, which encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of the young people.

I encourage the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to keep on creating favorable conditions for practical synergies between the key stakeholders.

That is the only way we can achieve our goal - to have a digital, e-society in Macedonia by 2020.

Dear Friends,

Such conferences show that Macedonia takes serious steps in promoting information and communication technologies, that we keep the pace with the global trends and that we can share experiences with experts from around the world.

Thank you.