Dear Attendees,
Distinguished Excellencies, 
Ladies and Gentlemen, 

It is a real pleasure for me to be in the company of so many representatives of states which this year celebrate 20 years of their independence, which was conceived with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. However, we are also linked by the common Eurasian space and the numerous bridges of cultural, economic and energy cooperation.

Indeed, that is the reason why we are here today, to give a new quality and wider dimensions of our cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For my country, the Republic of Macedonia, 2011 is a year of significant anniversaries. 20 years ago, my fellow citizens made a historic decision to establish an independent, sovereign, democratic and European Macedonia. This wise historic decision which was brought by my fellow citizens has been so many times by now confirmed as the right one.

Last week, Macedonia celebrated one decade since the signing of the historic Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union. An Agreement which prompted us to focus all our internal powers and potentialities on the implementation of the essential economic, social and democratic reforms, but also to comply with the European Union criteria, legislation and standards.

This year we will be marking ten years since the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, the provisions of which have been integrated into the Constitution. Thus, Macedonia has strengthened, upgraded and enhanced the ancient tradition of multiethnic coexistence, tolerance and appreciation of diversity. I believe that the Macedonian model of inclusive democracy, which has been proven as successful, is the model of the future. This especially refers to the great Eurasian ethnic, religious and cultural mosaic.

Notwithstanding, inclusiveness and intertwining are characteristics of the new geo-cultural processes which are result of globalization. Globalization first appeared here, in Eurasia, and our cultures are a product of that process. Therefore, we are all lightly touched by this contemporary phase of globalization and it penetrates through the less and less visible borders between the East and the West. It is exactly where I see the contribution of Macedonia which stands ready to share its positive experiences and lessons learned.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Anniversaries are a good opportunity to draw a line and see what we have achieved, and where we are. I may freely conclude that in the past two decades, we have achieved a remarkable progress.

The Republic of Macedonia has fulfilled all NATO membership criteria, has implemented successful reforms and is ready to start accession negotiations with the European Union. The Euro-Atlantic integration, establishing, maintaining, and promotion of the good neighborly relations and regional cooperation still remain our primary strategic goal.

The three pillars upon which we are building the future of the Republic of Macedonia are the three “E” - Europe, Economy and Energy. I believe that these three inter-dependent and closely related “E” are crucial to our development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We remain committed to achieving our strategic goal - European Union and NATO membership. This is our commitment because we believe that the European model and European unification is the most successful peace project that led to the reconciliation of many internal European conflicts and historical animosities between the European nations. This peace project shall not be complete without the membership of the Republic of Macedonia and of the other Western Balkan countries.

The Republic of Macedonia has deployed all its forces and potentials in favor of the economic development, in creating a favorable economic environment. My country has a longstanding macroeconomic stability with low inflation rate, which in average is 2% in the last 10 years. We have balanced public finances with low budget deficit, stable exchange rate and low public debt, which is 32.5% of the Gross Domestic Product. In the past three years, numerous reforms have been implemented in the area of labor market, as well as active measures for employment, thus the unemployment rate has been decreased for approximately 4%.

In the area of tax policy, low and flat taxes of 10% have been introduced. The flexibility in the labor market has been increased. Reforms have been implemented in the financial sector, education and agriculture, and the investments in the infrastructure and energy have also been increased.

For promotion of the Republic of Macedonia as a business destination for well-known foreign companies, five Free Technological Development Zones have been established, two of which are in Skopje and one in Stip, Tetovo and Bitola. These five zones offer a wide range of benefits which are attractive to the investors in the most advanced industries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

These comprehensive reforms have improved the overall business climate, thus, the total amount of foreign direct investments in the Republic of Macedonia in the period from 1998 to 2009 is about 3 billion Euros. Due to the results achieved, in the last three years, Macedonia is included among the top reformers, according to the renowned “Doing Business” Report for South East Europe of the World Bank.

Given that agriculture is the main industry in the Republic of Macedonia, we are continuously increasing the budgetary subsidies in support of the Macedonian farmers. 100 million Euros in 2010, 115 million Euros in 2011, up to the projected 130 million Euros in 2012. In addition, the Value Added Tax for the agricultural materials and machinery has been reduced from 18% to 5%.

I would like to stress that these reforms are a confirmation of our commitment on the road to full-fledged membership in the European Union. But also, the reforms are a proof of our decisiveness to provide a better standard of living of our citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The economic development to which we are fully committed is impossible without the energy security and stability. Macedonia will finally be marked on the international map of energy transport corridors. This will open us the opportunity to obtain cheap energy for our businesses and households and reduce our production expenses. This shall be a specific investment in energy and in the general economic stability and security of the country.

The Republic of Macedonia is very rich in renewable and yet unexploited natural resources. Besides the numerous sunny days and hydro-potential, my country is situated in one of the 19 geothermal regions on the planet, since in Macedonia more than 25 natural sources of geothermal waters have been registered.

I believe that if we use them wisely, we will have an economic development based on knowledge and usage of the available resources. Unlike the expensive conventional energy sources, which are increasingly challenging the environment, the geothermal waters are relatively cheap and long-term cost efficient. Therefore, we strongly support investments in this profitable industry, primarily for energy production but also for development of bath and spa tourism.

As President, I have a short-term mandate, but my mission is long-term: the Republic of Macedonia a full-fledged member-state of the European Union with a stable economy based on long-term energy security and stability, a country which is to build balanced sustainable development for the benefit of its citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I believe that we all share many of these goals. I also believe that many of the common priorities are attainable only through cooperation between the European and the Asian countries, between the Eurasian countries. We are turned towards each other and we are connected by many bridges of cooperation, both cultural, civilization, economic and energy.

This is where I see the close connection between stability and economic prosperity. This, among the other things, means conversion of energy dependence into energy interdependence. Therefore, I encourage further energy connectivity and branching of the oil and gas pipeline networks in the wider region, including Macedonia.

I believe that the benefits of this approach will be felt by all of us.

Hoping that this Forum will be an incubator of the Eurasian cooperation in future, let me greet all the participants and convey cordial regards to the organizers, who enabled this fruitful debate on substantive areas of economy, trade, energy to happen.

Thank you