Macedonian diplomatic bulletin No. 54-55

No. 54-55 / 2011

Special Supplement: Macedonia, Information Society Leader

Within the framework of the visit to the Kingdom of Denmark, Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki had a meeting with the Minister for European Affairs, Nicolai Wammen. The strategic priorities, that is to say, the integration of the Republic of Macedonia into NATO and the EU and the support of the Kingdom of Denmark in

the attainment of those goals were discussed at the meeting.

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Inside: Interview With H.E. Mr. Torben Brylle, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Republic of Macedonia

No. 54-55 (October- November 2011)

MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN

Founded by the MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS of the Republic of Macedonia.Dame Gruev 6, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia / www.mfa.gov.mk • [email protected] Previous editors: Pajo Avirovik, October 2006-April 2008; Zvonimir Popovik, May 2008-January 2010

Editor: Vladimir Efremovski

Editorial Board: Agneza Rusi; Lina Ognenova; Zuko Rizvanski; Shaban Jashari; Aleksandar Trajkoski; Katerina Stavreska; Eli Bojadjieska Ristovski; Edvard Mitevski; Maciej Kaczorowski; Elena Georgievska; Mircela Dzuvalekovska Casule

Photo: Dragan Todorovski

Published monthly by:

MACEDONIAN INFORMATION CENTREDirector: Dragan Antonov

Chief Translator: Aleksandra IlievskaAddress: Naum Naumovski Borce 73, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia www.micnews.com.mk

EDITORIAL

DIPLOMATIC NEWS

Republic of Macedonia – Member of the UNESCO Executive BoardWithin the framework of the 36th session of the General Confer-ence of UNESCO, held in Paris on 2 November, the Republic of Macedonia was the first time elected a member of the Executive Board for 2011-2015. The election represents acknowledgement of Macedonia’s significant contribution to the activities of this Organization and the United Nations.

Macedonia Celebrates Day of Macedonian Revolutionary StruggleWith a series of events, the Republic of Macedonia celebrated the Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle on 23 October. In the Macedonia Square, state delegations laid flowers at the monuments to Goce Delcev and Dame Gruev. Also, on the occasion of the holiday, the 23 October National Award was presented in Parlia-ment to writer Paskal Gilevski, artist Kole Manev and university professor Tome Nenovski. Macedonia celebrated 23 October, the day when the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization was founded in 1893, as a national holiday for the fifth time this year.

MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN No. 54/55 – 20112

Mutual Understanding and Tolerance in the Republic of Macedonia as Fundamental Values for Next 20 YearsWhen I thought about the word tolerance, in terms of semiotics two things crossed my mind that can be symbols, not in the literary rhetoric sense of the word as a problem of someone else’s freedom and different opinion and the idea that what the other says is always right, but rather as utter pious patience. It seems to me that had it not been for tolerance, what we have put in Article 5 and in the Declara-tion of Independent Macedonia that the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia passed on 17 September 1991, and that is respect for all human rights and tolerance on all grounds, today I suppose we would not have talked about Macedonia’s independence, and especially not about this Macedonia – independent, sovereign and a model of tolerance in the Balkans. Not only tolerance on religious grounds though but all those five postulates that the Government of the Republic of Macedonia established: social tolerance, cultural tolerance, tolerance of ethnic groups, tolerance of minorities and what was the ultimate, fundamental, important and powerful value – religious tolerance. As a young country, we embarked on nurturing tradition, religion, tolerance of the environment, liberation from prejudice, cultural, identity-related and sociological stereotypes, separation and delusion. We tried all together in these past 20 years to create a world of better conduct. The idea of the first world con-ference on inter-religious dialogue literally united us all in a shared alphabet, in a semina verbi, in a new way of action in the country. And we did not stop there. Our friends from the Council of Europe and UNESCO strongly supported the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, the Ministry of Culture and the Commission for Relations with Religious Communities, all with a common goal: to continue the dialogue of coexistence, understanding and tolerance. We went through the second conference as well, passed two important declarations at both conferences and did not stop there either. We received an excellent report from the Department of State and we managed over the past 20 years with all those fundamental rights that we established in the 1990s through the political system of the state, through the social aspect of the state, through all the laws, the laws passed by the Commission for Relations with Religious Communities, especially the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, not to turn off the set path of international conventions, ratifications, norms of the UN and conventions of the Council of Europe. Being tolerant is listening to the stance of the other, of the different, without hold-ing inside conflicting opinions and views. That does not mean not voicing opposing views and being silent. On the contrary, the goal is through dialogue to come to and seek out a real common consumer of arbitrage of tolerance. Through tolerance we free ourselves also of our need to be polite through restraint and focus on understanding the other. Only then can we say in a sociological context what we think of the other and also hear what the other, the different, thinks of us. Ethnic tolerance was important all these years. It was authentic and essential and a mainstay for keeping out identity, the identity of the Republic of Macedonia. All the webs woven through toler-ance kept us from falling into the abyss as certain other countries did. We persevered on that road and endured the sometimes harsh challenges from the neighborhood. It appears to me that during all this period, especially in recent years, the laws we passed, the law on discrimination, which the Council of Europe said must topple stereotypes, barriers and taboos in Macedonia, the law on the legal state of a church, religious community and religious group, the law on denationalization, the law on religious holidays, all of them brought about a different alphabet among the religious communities and among the very leaders in Macedonia. What we have achieved last

year with the Ministry of Education with the introduction of Ethic of Religions in schools was also the main imperative about how we should go further. Without scholars, great minds, young promising people who know education is a strong argument for future toler-ance, we cannot talk about tolerance. As John Stuart Mill says, we do not necessarily need to respect the views of the other – far from it – juts to try to understand and tolerate them; just to tolerate them because without tolerance, the conditions for rational criticism and rational condemnation, and of course for rational debate, are being destroyed. Therefore, we are going to leave these past 20 years as concepts inside any of us, no matter our ethnicity or religion, to tell their own truth. And their story. We expect a strong echo from the Republic of Macedonia as leader in honoring religious rights and freedom both in the Balkans and Europe as an example with a new image of exercising religious rights and liberties.

Valentina BOZINOVSKA, President of the Commission for Relations with Religious Communities and Groups

PRESIDENT IVANOV VISITS ROMANIA

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, paid a visit to Romania on 6-8 October. Apart from meeting his Roma-nian counterpart Traian Băsescu, President Ivanov also met Prime Minister Emil Boc and the President of the Senate, Mircea Geoană. All officials confirmed the good political relations between the two countries. In addition, the Romanian officials said they would continue supporting unconditionally Macedonia’s reforms and Euro-Atlantic integration. The upward trend in the development of the economic relations and the shared interest in intensifying and promoting this cooperation were likewise stressed. During the visit, business forums were organized in Bucharest and Ploieşti, in which more than 80 firms from both countries participated.

In the attendance of the heads of state of both countries, the Agreement on Cooperation in Tourism and the Agreement on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation were signed between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of Romania.

President Ivanov was awarded an honoris causa degree by the Dimitrie Cantemir University. He also met the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Daniel, the Mayor of Iaşi, Dragomir Tomaseschi, and representatives of the Association of Macedonians in Romania. At a separate ceremony, he decorated posthumously Liana Dumitrescu, the first deputy of Macedonians in Romania, with a medal of merit.

PRESIDENT IVANOV IN CROATIAMacedonian President Gjorge Ivanov paid an official visit to the Republic of Croatia on 31 October and 1 November. Within the framework of his visit, he met his host, Croatian President Ivo Josipović, the Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Vladimir Šeks, and Foreign Minister Gordan Jandroković.

In the course of their talks, the two presidents confirmed the good bilateral relations and emphasized the need for their promotion, especially the economic cooperation. President Josipović stressed

that the Republic of Croatia would continue supporting the Republic of Macedonia in its Euro-Atlantic integration. During the visit, the Ministers of Justice of both countries, Blerim Bexheti and Dražen Bošnjaković signed the Agreement on Extradition between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Croatia.

President Ivanov also laid flowers at the grave of the Macedonian revolutionary and Vice President of the Presidium of ASNOM, Panko Brasnarov, at the Zagreb cemetery and attended the presentation at the Croatian Economic Chamber about the Croatian companies doing business in Macedonia.

EMIR OF QATAR PAYS OFFICIAL VISIT TO MACEDONIA

On 17-18 October, the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, paid a 2-day official visit to the Republic of Macedo-nia. His delegation included 12 Ministers of the Government of Qatar.

At the meeting between Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and Sheikh Al-Thani, the bilateral relations between the two coun-tries were considered, as special stress was laid on the development and promotion of the economic cooperation, boosting trade and the possibility for direct Qatari investments in the Macedonian economy. Views about the situation in the regions of the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans were also shared.

President Ivanov decorated Sheikh Al-Thani with an 8 Septem-ber Order for his commitment to promoting the dialogue between civilizations and religions and the cooperation with the Republic of Macedonia in that regard, as well as for his exceptional contribution and dedication to the development and promotion of the relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Macedonia.

In the course of his visit, the Emir of Qatar also met Prime Min-ister Nikola Gruevski and Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski.

Within the framework of the visit, seven bilateral agreements were signed, most important of which are those in the fields of investments, employment and air traffic.

No. 54/55 – 2011 MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN 3

EC REPORT ON MACEDONIA FOR 2011The European Commission revealed on 12 October its regular annual report on the progress of the Republic of Macedonia in the process of accession to the European Union for 2011 as an integral part of the Enlargement Strategy and the chief challenges in 2011-2012. The Report focuses on the realization of the political and economic reforms, as well as on the legal, institutional and administrative adjustments necessary for undertaking the responsibilities of the European Union membership in adherence with the Copenhagen Criteria. The Report includes also a number of recommendations for the necessary activities for further harmonization and fulfill-

ment of the standards for membership of the European Union. The European Commission in this year’s report too states that Macedonia is ready to open membership negotiations. Macedonia continues to a sufficient extent to meet the political criteria, to progress in meeting the economic criteria, including functional market economy, and to make further progress in the legal, in-stitutional and administrative harmonization with the legislation and policies of the EU. Macedonia continues to implement all the responsibilities assumed with the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU. On that basis, the European Commission recommended, for the third successive year, opening of accession talks with Macedonia, the Report stresses.

BILATERAL RELATIONS

Your Excellency, on behalf of the edito-rial staff of the Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin and the Bulletin’s publisher, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Repub-lic of Macedonia, we wish your country, the Kingdom of Denmark, successful presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2012. Could you tell us something more about the priori-ties your Government will dedicate itself to in the course of the presidency of the Council of the European Union?

Denmark takes over the presidency at a time when the EU is facing its perhaps biggest challenge ever. A central task for the Danish Presidency will be to unify and strengthen the EU through concrete results that take Europe forward showing the value and necessity of EU cooperation.

The Danish Presidency is going to focus on the following main areas:

• The EU’s economic situation • The negotiations on the multi-annual

budget framework and the under-lying reforms, such as agriculture, structural funds and research [will not be finalised during the Danish Presidency]

• Strengthening growth and employ-ment in Europe, not least through the Single Market

• Setting a green growth agenda • Justice and Home Affairs • Strengthening the EU’s role in the

world

More information about the Danish priorities can be found at www.eu2012.dk

The wider Macedonian public is familiar with the positions of the Kingdom of Denmark in regard to the EU enlargement process. What does the concrete coopera-tion of the Kingdom of Denmark with the

institutions in the Republic of Macedonia consist of, in terms of setting Macedonia a date for opening membership negotia-tions as soon as possible?

We congratulate you on the latest Progress Report from the European Com-mission and encourage you to keep up the good work. Denmark would like to begin negotiations with your country. It requires an agreed EU position, which again requires that the name issue does not stand in the way. This issue must, in other words, be settled by mutual consent between the two parties directly concerned. I am sure you know that Denmark has been a proponent of EU enlargement and we remain so.

Mr. Ambassador, how do you assess the re-lations between the two countries and the possibilities for their further promotion?

It is my true belief that our two countries have had an excellent relationship since independence in 1991. Our former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, was very proactive with respect to your country during his time in office. As you may know, for this effort he was deco-rated with the Order of 8th September in 2010 – a very high honour for him and for Denmark indeed.

We have been fortunate to work with and be represented by an excellent Consul General, Mr. Zhivko Mukaetov, who is also the CEO of Alkaloid, one of the larg-est companies in the country. The work he does for Denmark goes above and beyond what is demanded of a Consul General, and we cannot thank him and his team enough for their work.

In the latest World Bank Doing Business Report 2012, the Republic of Macedonia, has moved up twelve places and is now ranked 22nd in the world compared to

2011. According to other similar reports, it is considered to be the regional leader and a serious destination for foreign di-rect investments. Could the cooperation between our two countries be promoted by exchanging experiences in attracting foreign direct investments or by drawing Danish investments in the Republic of Macedonia?

Whenever I travel to Copenhagen or to Skopje, I spend a lot of time telling people of the many opportunities that are available to encourage bilateral relations, mutual coop-eration and business investments between our countries. It has been truly remarkable to follow the progress of your country over the years.

From the Danish perspective, we work around the globe through the Danish export and investment promotion activities of the Trade Council of Denmark. Through the Trade Council, we advise companies on how to grow, how to develop their international partnerships, how to seek out new business opportunities and markets, and we also seek to attract new investments to Denmark.

I am convinced that the trade and invest-ment between our countries can and will develop further in the future.

Does your Embassy plan any additional activities in the sphere of culture, sport, education, science and art that could bolster the cooperation between the two countries in these fields as well?

We are currently in the process of plan-ning non-core activities during our Presi-dency. They provide an opportunity for us to show some of the qualities of what Denmark represents, and we hope to identify means to bolster cooperation in some of the areas which you mention. An overview of all Danish activities during the presidency can be found at www.eu2012.dk


DENMARK HAS BEEN A PROPONENT OF EU ENLARGEMENT AND WE REMAIN SO

Interview with H.E. Mr. Torben Brylle, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Republic of Macedonia


PM GRUEVSKI VISITS ITALY

On 5 October 2011, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski paid a one-day working visit to the Italian Republic. The visit was realized at the invitation of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi. During the conversation of the two prime ministers, the traditionally good and friendly relations between the two countries were confirmed. The Italian prime minister empha-sized once again Italy’s support for Macedonia’s membership of the EU and NATO. Prime Minister Gruevski talked about the reforms that the Republic of Macedonia is carrying out on its path toward the EU and its expectation of another positive report from the EC with a recommendation for opening EU accession talks.

Prime Minister Gruevski was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski and Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki. Within the economic part of the pro-gram, Pesevski had several meetings with representatives of Italian companies, including FINMENICCANICA, SIMEST and RESI GROUP, which expressed interest in implementing their business plans in Macedonia.

SALI BERISHA IN MACEDONIAAt the invitation of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha, paid a return visit to the Republic of Macedonia on 9 November. Within the framework of the visit, apart from meeting his host, Prime Minister Gruevski, the prime minister of Albania was received also by Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski.

At the meeting, the prime ministers confirmed the friendly relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Albania characterized by a close political dialogue at the highest level and cooperation in a great many areas of shared interest. The need for promoting the cooperation in all areas, especially in the field of economy, was particularly underscored. Prime Minister Berisha visited also the State University and the University of Southeast Europe in Tetovo.

FOREIGN MINISTER POPOSKI VISITS KINGDOM OF DENMARKWithin the framework of the working visit to the Kingdom of Denmark on 18 November, Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki had a meeting with the Minister for European Affairs, Nicolai Wammen, who is going to chair the Council of Ministers of the EU during the coming Danish Presidency of the European Union.

The strategic priorities, that is to say, the integration of the Republic of Macedonia into NATO and the EU and the support of the Kingdom of Denmark in the attainment of those goals were discussed at the meeting. The officials also agreed that being set a date for opening membership negotiations between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Union was particularly important.

Denmark expressed willingness to support Macedonia’s Euro-integration process during the Danish Presidency of the EU. As regards the name issue with Greece, it was stressed that Denmark backed a mutually acceptable solution to the problem. During his visit to Denmark, Minister Poposki was received also by the Par-liament Speaker of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mogens Lykketoft.

FOREIGN MINISTER POPOSKI IN ALBANIA

Within the framework of his first official visit to the Republic of Albania, Nikola Poposki, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met his host, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Edmond Haxhinasto. Minister Poposki was also received by the President of the Republic of Albania, Bamir Topi, Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Sali Berisha.

In the course of the talks, satisfaction with the bilateral coopera-tion was expressed and the commitment to building good neighborly relations and cooperation based on the shared strategic objectives – establishing and implementing European and Euro-Atlantic standards – was reconfirmed.

FOREIGN MINISTER POPOSKI VISITS KOSOVOWithin the framework of his one-day visit to the Republic of Kos-ovo on 21 October, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Poposki met his Kosovo counterpart Enver Hoxhaj, President Atifete Jahjaga, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi.

They expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between the two countries and reiterated the commitment to promoting the overall relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Kosovo, a part of which is the conclusion of agreements and promoting cooperation in regional and multilateral organizations and associations. With the aim of promoting further the economic cooperation, both parties argued for stronger and intensive eco-nomic coordination of the joint plans and projects.

Kosovo Foreign Minister Hoxhaj expressed gratitude for the support that the Republic of Macedonia gives Kosovo and for Macedonia’s willingness to extend concrete assistance in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Kosovo, especially with regard to the visa liberalization dialogue.


“In its first 100 days, the Gov-ernment achieved the set short-term goals defined in its Action Program,” said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in the account of the Government’s achieve-ments.

The first 100 days are im-portant also for the work of the Ministry and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In this period of time, apart from the regular activities of the Ministry,

* The Republic of Macedo-nia has been elected for the first time member of the Execu-tive Board of UNESCO; at the meeting with the ambassadors of the North-Atlantic Council in Brussels (attended by Ministers Poposki and Besimi), the 12th cycle of the Action Plan for Member-ship of the Republic of Macedonia in NATO was closed, while the implementation of the 2011-2012 Program is in progress.

* Minister Poposki participated in the 66th Session of the General Assembly of the UN; in the formal establishment of the initiative Open Government Partnership, at which a joint Open Government Declaration was adopted; in the Trans-Atlantic dinner of the member states of the EU, NATO, Switzerland and Macedonia (at the invita-tion of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton); in the meeting with the Ambassadors of the North-Atlantic Council in Brussels; in the informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of the European Union; in the meeting of the Visegrad Group, Slovenia and the Western Balkans; in the Ministerial Meeting of the member states of the Charter of Partnership between Macedonia, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the USA; in the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of SEECP, the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and CEI; in the 4th meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the European People’s Party; and in the informal ministerial meeting of La Francophonie.

* In the course of August, September, October and the first days of November, with the aim of promoting relations further, Minister Poposki visited Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. The new border crossing Golema Crcorija-Goles between the Republic of Macedonia and Serbia was opened to the same effect. Within the framework of these visits and the international conferences and meetings which he attended, Minister Poposki had separate meetings with about 50 high-ranking officials from various countries, including 29 ministers of foreign affairs, most of them from EU member states. Worth mentioning are also the meetings with Philip Reeker, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Knut Vollebaek, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities; Matthew Nimetz, Mediator in the name is-sue talks between the Republic of Macedonia and Greece; Lamberto Zannier, OSCE Secretary General, etc.

* Minister Poposki addressed also conferences and international forums organized in the Republic of Macedonia dedicated to: the 10th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, the 50th anniversary of the rise of the Berlin Wall, the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Macedonia and the European

challenges of the countries of the Western Balkans. He also took part in the 9th Meeting of the European Union-Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamen-tary Committee.

* In addition, Minister Poposki gave 18 interviews to print and electronic, home and foreign (9), media, including an interview for the September is-sue of the Diplomatic Bulletin.

* In the same period, nine bilateral agreements were signed, on extradition (with Croatia and Montenegro), on the conditions for mutual travels for the citizens of both countries (with Serbia), on eco-

nomic, scientific and technical cooperation and cooperation in the field of tourism (with Romania), on cooperation in the process of accession to the European Union (with Montenegro), on mutual recognition and substitution of national driving licenses (with Spain), on mutual encouragement and protection of investments and on regulation of employment of workforce (with Qatar); four accords: on cooperation in the field of education (with Bosnia and Herzegovina), on border regulation of rail traffic (with the Republic of Kosovo), and on cooperation in the field of culture and on regular air traffic (with Qatar); as well as two memorandums: of cooperation in the field of European integration (with Bulgaria) and of understanding in the field of education (with Qatar).

* In the first three months, further progress was made also in promoting the cooperation with the Macedonian diaspora and the Macedonians that as national minorities live in the neighboring countries. In that regard, a program “Learn Macedonian Online” was introduced; publishing was being encouraged (publications Prespa and Ilinden); conferences on rights of national minorities were held, as representatives of the diaspora took part in conferences organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In order to ease the ac-cess to Macedonian passports, three mobile stations were opened in Macedonia’s diplomatic and consular offices in Melbourne, Chicago and New York.

* With the process of succession of the assets of SFR Yugoslavia, the Republic of Macedonia took over the building of the Consulate in Athens, while the taking over of an apartment in Rome and the building of the Consulate General in Zurich is in its final stage.

* Particularly important are the activities of the Ministry in the field of economic diplomacy. With a view to promoting Macedonia as an attractive destination for foreign investments and promoting the possibilities for export to foreign markets, the Ministry provided logistics for staging business forums in New York, Bucharest and London, in the attendance of President Ivanov (Bucharest) and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski (New York and London). With the aim of promoting the economic cooperation, the 5th Meeting of the Macedonian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission also took place.

* The release of two issues of the Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin and the eighth issue of the foreign policy magazine Crossroads was also in the service of promoting the Macedonian foreign policy and the Republic of Macedonia.

100 DAYS OF GOVERNMENTAccount of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

In August 2008, a Ministry of Information Society was established in the Government of the Republic of Macedonia in response to the challenges of the new age, of the need to promote and spread the use of the information and communication technology (ICT) in the service of faster economic growth of the country by bringing it closer to the citizens, the state administration and the business sector. The global information and communication trends impose a rapid and continuous development of the information society as a prerequisite for taking the country closer to the western democracies, avoiding regional stagnation, integrating the domestic economy with the global one and accelerating the economic tendencies that lead to growth.

With the aim of realizing its vision of a developed information society and realizing the priorities of the programs: e-citizens, e-business, e-infrastructure, e-government and information security, in the past three years the Ministry realized concrete initiatives and measures.

A part of the program e-education is the project Computer for Every Child, which represents the biggest investment in the educa-tion in the Republic of Macedonia in the past 17 years. The project supplied 163,000 computer workstations for primary and secondary schools, 53,000 laptops for students of the first, second and third grades, as well as 22,000 laptops for all teachers in the primary and secondary education. Computers are used as teaching tools and for accessing the education content on the Internet. Moreover, 55,000 desks have been supplied suitable for this computer equipment. Teachers have also been trained so they can become part of the process of creating information society. Forty-three software tools were localized in Macedonian and Albanian and were adapted to the operative system Edubuntu. The tools will be used for the objectives of the curricula. As regards the development of new centralized educational portals, the Ministry created the portal www.skoool.mk for electronic educational content where 513 educational en-

tries, a donation from the company Intel, can be found. There is also a portal for electronic textbooks and electronic publications, which helps students learn in an innovative and interesting way as teachers can prepare and present the curriculum with the aid of the information technology.

A centralized system of electronic education has also been put in place for centralized access to and management of education tools and for establishing a system for electronic learning, which would lead to a more efficient educational process.

In the service of the country’s computerization was also the pro-vision of 22,000 vouchers for purchasing computers for all regular students enrolled in the last year of their studies.

With the project of free Internet in dorms in Macedonia, new communication infrastructure was provided in every room and free Internet access was enabled in all dorms, while the realization of the project e-dorming made it possible for students to apply for rooms in dorms electronically. The implementation of the system for e-distribution resulted in transparent and objective evaluation of all submitted applications for dorm rooms.

In the past two academic years, 250 scholarships for talented information technology students were also awarded, a practice that will continue in the next three years as well.

Within the framework of the program e-Government, a National Strategy for e-Government 2010-2012 was passed, based on which the implementation of a great many projects from this field began or continued.

An electronic system for management of documents, which is a unified standard system, with which all civil servants will be able to electronically create and manage all types of documents, have been introduced in government institutions.

Because of the need for introducing one stop shop services and improving communication among institutions, the system

MACEDONIA, INFORMATION SOCIETY LEADER


of interoperability has been introduced to serve as a standard mediation system for electronic sharing of information and docu-ments between institutions. Within the project e-Documents, this infrastructure will also be used to “digitalize” the administrative procedures for taking out a great many documents and receiving services from state institutions.

Introducing electronic IDs for the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia is planned and that is going to raise considerably the use of present and future electronic administrative services.

A prominent number of electronic administrative services have already been developed and are being used, as particularly important are the electronic public procurements, the electronic reporting and canceling of employment contracts, the electronic submission of annual tax returns, the electronic distribution of international licenses for transport of goods, the electronic ap-plication for and issuing of licenses and quotas for import/export, etc. It is also important to emphasize that in keeping with the e-Government Strategy, implementation of even greater number of electronic services, with whose introduction a more efficient way of fulfilling the responsibilities and rights of citizens and companies will be provided , has gone underway.

In order to facilitate the administrative procedures and make the services completely electronic without any physical contact of citizens with office windows, a system of electronic collection of fees by the state administration bodies via mobile phones and the Internet has been introduced.

Within the framework of the adopted National Strategy for e-inclusion, numerous projects have been planned whose aim is to make the access to the information and communication technologies available to all citizens regardless of where they live, their ICT knowl-edge, age, education and financial means, and regardless of whether they are people with special needs, socially marginalized groups, etc.

An important project from this area is the Wi-Fi Access Points in rural areas with which free Internet booths have been setup with the aim of preparing the Macedonian citizens for the modern IT economic market, helping them get ready for the competitive

global economy. In the future, the project will focus on raising the number of Internet users in the Republic of Macedonia, making the Internet accessible to all citizens.

The free Internet clubs that operate in 22 towns raise notably the accessibility of computers and the Internet and the people’s IT literacy.

Following this encompassing presentation, it worth saying that the latest edition of the report “Measuring the Information Society” of ITU (International Telecommunication Union) highlights the pronounced progress that the Republic of Macedonia has made in developing its information society.

Via the two main indicators, the ICT development index and the ICT price basket, the report follows the development of the in-formation society on a global scale, stresses the key trends globally, locally and nationally, and identifies the countries with the best results in the information society development and the mainstays of change. The chief purpose of the ITU report is to provide an all-encompassing international estimate of the information society development, based on quantitative indicators and identification of the ICT areas of high and low growth.

The ICT development index, which shows the overall progress of the countries in building the information society, has been measured for a total of 159 countries and the ICT price basket index for 161 countries.

The highest-ranked countries are still those from the devel-oped world, yet a certain number of developing countries have demonstrated prominent improvement in their ranking between 2007 and 2008. They are Bahrain, Macedonia, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, etc.

The ICT development index consists of three sub-indexes: ICT access, use, and skills.

As a result of the improvement of the sub-indexes, the overall grade of the Republic of Macedonia of 3.40 in 2007 improved to 4.32 in 2008, which is an upward leap of 12 positions, whereby Macedonia was ranked 51st from a total of 159 countries.

The leading countries are Sweden, Luxembourg, South Korea, Denmark, and The Netherlands. However, in order to get the com-plete picture, it is important to bear in mind not just the ranking list but also the index values and the changes in the ranking, the manner in which the dynamic in the process of ICT development is seen, as well as the potential progress of the countries transiting toward an information society.

As if to illustrate the point, of the countries in the region, before Macedonia are Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro, but their progress is much smaller compared to Macedonia’s – Montenegro moved up by only 3 notches, Bulgaria by none, and Croatia and Greece by one notch. Countries of the region ranked worse than Macedonia are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Serbia and Albania.


The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia celebrated the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the first Constitution of sovereign and independent Republic of Macedonia on 17 November. At the session held on that occasion, Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski stressed that the Constitution represented the closing act of a painful and difficult historical process that commenced with the Manifesto of the Krusevo Republic and the decisions of ASNOM. With its adoption, one of the major challenges that we still face today – passing of laws completing the country’s legal system – commenced as well. With the signing of the Stability Pact and later with the reception of the status of an EU candidate member state, according to Parliament Speaker Veljanoski, that process assumed a new dimension, seeing as one of Macedo-nia’s major priorities is harmonization of its legislation with the European laws.

On the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the Day of the Mac-edonian National Uprising, 11 October, a ceremony was held at the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU), which was opened by the President of the Academy, Academi-cian Georgi Stardelov, and at which academician Ivan Katardziev talked about the National Liberation Movement as a factor in the accomplishment of the political, national and cultural sovereignty of Macedonians. A ceremony was also held at the Army House, at which President Gorge Ivanov emphasized that a lasting value of the fight against fascism was the fact that all ethnic groups in the country participated in it. The ceremony, attended by World War II veterans, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski, representatives of the diplomatic corps, judiciary, political parties and religious communities, and rec-tors, was also addressed by the President of the Alliance of WWII Veterans, Todor Atanasovski, who reminisced about the war of 1941-1946 and said Macedonia was one of the first countries to join the anti-fascist forces.

The 70th Anniversary of the Anti-Fascist Uprising in Macedo-nia was celebrated also in Prilep where the renovated Memorial Museum “11 October 1941” was opened and in Kumanovo where traditionally in honor of those who perished in the war flowers were laid at the Monument to WWII. Within the framework of the holiday celebration, at the Parliament of the Republic of

Macedonia, the National 11 October Award was presented to ballet dancer Tanja Vujisik-Todorovska, writer Resul Shabani and actor Petar Temelkovski for life achievements in the field of culture and art, counselor-librarian Mile Boseski for life achieve-ments in the field of protection of cultural and historical legacy and businessman Tihomir Cepreganov for life achievements in the field of business.

A working meeting of the deputy prime ministers and ministers of European affairs of the countries of the Western Balkans and the Republic of Turkey on the subject “European Challenges of the Western Balkans” took place in Skopje on 17 October. The meeting was attended by representatives of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey, as well as by Stefano Sannino, Director General of the European Union’s Directorate General for Enlargement, and Richard Howitt, Rapporteur on the Republic of Macedonia at the European Parliament.

The meeting was opened by Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who stressed that the renewed recommendation from

the European Commission was recognition for the achieved results and said he was confident that Macedonia at the moment had the capacity to open EU membership negotiations.

Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Teuta Arifi, Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki and Director General Sannino addressed the gathering as well. Talking about the challenges ahead of the countries of the region, Minister Poposki stressed that the European Commission remained Macedonia’s credible partner and even a genuine benevolent mentor in the Euro-integration process.

70TH ANNIVERSARY OF MACEDONIAN NATIONAL UPRISING CELEBRATED

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ADOPTING MACEDONIA’S FIRST CONSTITUTION CELEBRATED

REGIONAL MEETING ON WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN CHALLENGES


“The Republic of Macedonia is going to do all it can to help improve the living conditions of Mac-edonians living in Albania in cooperation with the authorities in Tirana,” said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at his meeting with the residents of the village of Trebiste in the region of Golo Brdo, Albania, on 15 October.

He said that the road from the Macedonian village of Dzepciste to the border with Albania, which had recently been put to use, would help a lot improve the communication with the local population in the border zone areas. The need for improving the living conditions of the ethnic Macedonians in Golo Brdo, especially their road infrastructure, education and health care, was tabled at Prime Minister Gruevski’s meeting with representatives of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration party and the local authorities

PRIME MINISTER GRUEVSKI MEETS MACEDONIANS FROM GOLO BRDO

PRESIDENT IVANOV OPENS EXHIBITION “EVLIYA ÇELEBI – OTTOMAN TRAVELER”The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, opened the exhibition “Evliya Çelebi – Ottoman Traveler” in Paris on 14 November. President Ivanov stressed that he was honored to have had the opportunity to open the exhibition dedicated to Çelebi, who, he said, was the man who left us as a legacy the civilization marks of our past. The travel writer Evliya Çelebi, President Ivanov said, contributed to promoting understanding among peoples, cultures and civilizations that he visited. His writings, according to Ivanov, are significant sources not only for history and geography but also for ethnography, anthropology, economy, architecture, literature and many other areas, Ivanov said.

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON ATATÜRKThe 7th International Atatürk Congress took place in Skopje and Bitola on 18-22 October, for the first time outside the borders of Turkey, in the country in which Atatürk’s parents lived and in which he went to school. The congress was held under the auspices of the Presidents of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Turkey, Gjorge Ivanov and Abdullah Gül, and was organized by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Atatürk Supreme Council of Culture, Language and History-Atatürk Re-search Center in Ankara.

This year’s Congress was dedicated to great Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s 130th birthday and the need for scientific explanation of the importance of the events at the time of the creation of the modern Balkan states, with an attempt to scientifically interpret the

historical, social cultural and economic relations between Turkey, Macedonia and the Balkans in the context of the past, the present and the future. The meeting was attended by over 200 scholars.

President Ivanov called attention in his address to the stand of great Atatürk that, ”the territories to be left out of the borders of Turkey, including Macedonia and Albania, should first be given autonomy and then full independence,” as well as to the fact that the founder of modern Turkey “shaped his European views of reform of the disintegrated empire in Bitola in the early 20th century,” the city that was “Europe’s gateway to the Turkish Empire.”

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç addressed the scholars too, saying that in the tumultuous times of the disappearance of the multinational Ottoman Empire, Kemal Atatürk incorporated the principles of parliamentary democracy and secular state.

A delegation of the Republic of Macedonia led by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Nikola Poposki and Fatmir Besimi, participated in a meeting of the North-Atlantic Council in Brussels on 19 October. In their addresses before the ambassadors of the 28 NATO member countries, Ministers Poposki and Besimi talked about the results achieved in the political, economic and defense reform processes in the Republic of Macedonia, reiterating at the same time the country’s unwavering commitment to sharing the values and responsibilities of the Alliance as an equal partner.

The member states of the Alliance positively assessed the imple-mentation of the 12th cycle of the Membership Action Plan and of the responsibilities contained in the 2010-2011 Annual National Program for NATO Membership of the Republic of Macedonia for. In doing so they stressed the active contribution of the Republic of Macedonia to maintaining regionaal and global peace and stability by participating in international missions and operations led by NATO and other international organizations. Ministers Poposki and Besimi met also NATO Deputy Secretary General Claudio Bisogniero.

MINISTERS POPOSKI AND BESIMI AT MEETING WITH NORTH-ATLANTIC COUNCIL IN BRUSSELS


PRIME MINISTER GRUEVSKI AT LEADER’S MEETING IN LONDONMacedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski par-ticipated in the leader’s meeting of the International Democratic Union in London on 10-11 November, which apart from the host, British Prime Minister David Cameron, was attended also by the President of Georgia and the Vice-Chancellor of Austria, as well as by a number of prominent figures from the political and social life of Great Britain.

At the dinner organized by the British Business Group attended also by Prince Michael of Kent, influential in the business circles, Prime Minister Gruevski presented the commitment of the Macedonian Government to turning the Republic of Macedonia into a favorable business destination.

MINISTER POPOSKI IN BRUSSELSThe Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Mac-edonia, Nikola Poposki, elaborated before the members of the foreign affairs committee of the European Parliament on 29 November the necessity for opening membership negotiations between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Union as soon as possible as a significant impetus for continuing the positive democratic and socio-economic development of the country.

In that regard, he informed about Macedonia’s progress in meeting the Copenhagen criteria and the conditions of the Accession Partnership. He paid special attention to the economic results as well as the Govern-ment’s dedication and the activities being undertaken to continue the political and economic reforms in the service of Macedonia’s future membership of the Union.

In his address, Minister Poposki underlined also the need for a European approach by the new Greek government in respect of Macedonia’s opening of European Union membership negotia-tions whereby an opportunity would be created not only for promoting the bilateral relations but also for promoting regional stability.

Within the framework of his visits to the European institutions in Brussels, Minister Poposki met also with Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. In the course of their conversation, among other things, he thanked her for the recommendation for setting Macedonia a date for opening accession talks adopted by the European Com-mission in October.

MFA POPOSKI IN MONTENEGROWithin the framework of his visits to the region, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Mac-edonia, Nikola Poposki, paid his first official visit to Montenegro on 14 October. The visit was realized only two days of the release of the positive report of the EC on Macedonia and Montenegro, which is why both countries’ accession to the EU was imposed as a talking point in the talks.

Apart from meeting his Montenegrin counterpart Milan Roken, Minister Poposki had separate meetings also with Parliament Speaker Ranko Krivokapić and Prime Minister Igor Lukšić.

The overall bilateral relations between the two coun-tries, the concluded agreements, the cooperation within the framework of the European and Euro-Atlantic inte-gration, and the further strengthening and promotion of the cooperation of the regional organizations and associations were tabled at the meetings.

Ministers Poposki and Roken signed also the Agreement on Co-operation between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of Montenegro in the process of accession to the European Union.


EU-WESTERN BALKANS MINISTERIAL FORUM HELD IN OHRID

On 3 and 4 October, organized by the Macedonian Ministries of Interior Justice and Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Polish Presidency of the EU, an informal European Union-Western Bal-kans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs took place in Ohrid. The Forum was attended by the ministers of justice and home affairs of the countries of the Western Balkans, Poland and Slovenia, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malm-ström, as well as high representatives of Denmark and Cyprus, the countries to be chairing the EU next, and representatives of the EU agencies responsible for justice and home affairs.

Following the introductory address by Macedonian Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska, a few working sessions followed dedicated to the cooperation of the European Union with the coun-tries of the Western Balkans in the areas of freedom, security and justice. Within the framework of the Forum, a presentation of the priorities in the areas of home affairs and justice of the forthcom-ing Danish and Cyprian chairmanships of the EU was also held.

PRESIDENT IVANOV AT PEACE AND SPORT FORUMPresident Gjorge Ivanov participated in the 5th Peace and Sport International Forum in Monaco on 26-28 October this year, held under the auspices of Prince Albert II. The Forum, initiated in 2007 in order to help keep and promote peace in the world, remove barriers between peoples and resolve conflicts through sport, was attended also by the heads of state of Macedonia, Hungary, Lesotho and Burundi.

Talking about the significance of sport in building a stable and prosperous society, in his address at the opening of the Forum, President Ivanov also said that, “through its power to attract, mo-bilize and inspire individuals, communities and countries, sport helps us promote ideas of peace, tolerance, justice, non-violence and solidarity.” This part of his address has been citied in many other reports of this important international event.

INFORMAL MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS OF VISEGRAD GROUP COUNTRIESForeign Minister Nikola Poposki participated in the informal meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the countries of the Visegrad Group (V4), Slovenia and the countries of the Western Balkans, held in Prague on 4 November 2011, within the framework of the Czech Presidency of the Group.

The situation in the countries of the Balkans was discussed at the meeting and views were shared about the strategy of enlargement and the chief challenges in 2011 and 2012. The idea of sharing the regional cooperation experiences of the Visegrad Group through the International Visegrad Fund was also tabled.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Poposki met his host, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, as well as the Foreign Ministers of Poland, the country currently chairing the EU, and the Slovak Republic, Radoslaw Sikorski and Mikuláš Dzurinda respectively.

PM GRUEVSKI AT ECONOMIC FORUM IN LONDON

Organized by Developing Markets Associates and the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia, the UK-Macedonia Invest Forum 2011 took place in London on 19 October in the attendance of over 120 representatives of British companies and friends of Macedonia.

The Macedonian delegation led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski consisted of Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Pesevski, Ministers Valon Saraqini and Vele Samak, the Director of the Agency for Foreign Investments, Visar Fida, the Director of the Directorate for Technological and Industrial Development Zones, Viktor Mizo, etc.

Prime Minister Gruevski stressed in his address the opportunities Macedonia provides for doing business, which is also confirmed

by the country’s high ranking in the World Bank Doing Business Report and the assessments of the agency Fitch of Macedonia’s credit rating. Focusing on the stable macroeconomic perform-ances, according to which the country is one of the leaders in the region, the prime minister brought attention to the amenities the country offers for investment of foreign capital. During his stay in London, Prime Minister Gruevski met also the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague, the Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Develop-ment, Jan Fischer, and relevant representatives of the renowned banks Barclays and HSBC.

REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA-EU ECONOMIC CONFERENCE AT HIGH LEVELAn economic conference at a high level “Improving the Economic Potential, Identifying the Future Sources of Growth“ was held in Skopje on 30 November, organized by the Government of the Re-public of Macedonia, the European Union and the Polish Presidency.

The Conference, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Pesevski, EC Director Alexandra Cas Granje, the Polish Ambassador to Macedonia, Przemyslaw Czyż, as well representatives of inter-national financial institutions and the business community of the Republic of Macedonia, aimed to put in perspective the economic situation in Macedonia and identify the various options that would help the country benefit from the long-standing macroeconomic stability in attracting foreign direct investments, achieving a higher economic growth and handling unemployment.



Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski visited Singapore on 28-29 Novem-ber 2011 and had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, at which the bilateral relations and cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and Singapore were discussed and the need to intensify the political dialogue and promote eco-nomic cooperation and trade was emphasized. Тhe government delegation participated also in a business forum in Singapore, at which Macedonia’s potentials as a business destination were pre-sented before some 50 Singapore-based companies.

From 29 November to 3 December 2011, Prime Minister Gruevski paid a working visit to Japan, which is the first ever visit of a Mac-

edonian prime minister to Japan. During the visit, he met his host, the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, at which the need for promoting the bilateral relations between the two countries was stressed. Prime Minister Gruevski met also Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito.

Business forums were staged in Tokyo and Osaka, at which the comparative advantages of the Macedonian economy and the pos-sibilities and benefits of investment in the Republic of Macedonia were presented. On this occasion, Prime Minister Gruevski and the other members of the Macedonian delegation met representatives of a number of Japanese companies.

Macedonia is the most attractive business destination with the lowest taxes and best business reforms, said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in his address at the 8th Vienna Economic Forum held on 22 November, presenting also the conditions offered in the free

economic zones in the Republic of Macedonia. Prime Minister Gruevski received at the Forum the award for contribution to the economic development at a national and regional level of the member state of the Vienna Economic Forum.

An Austrian-Macedonian Business Forum also took place in Vienna, at which meetings were held with representatives of Austrian companies. During his stay in Vienna, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski met Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and both officials stressed the Austrian support for Macedonia’s process of European integration.

At the Macedonian-German Business Forum held in Munich on 23 November, the investment opportunities Macedonia offers were presented. Prime Minister Gruevski had a meeting in Munich with the Bavarian State Minister for Federal and European Affairs, Ms. Emilia Müller, at which the commitment to further promotion of the cooperation was reaffirmed. On 24 November, the govern-ment team presented Macedonia’s investment opportunities before German businessmen in Dusseldorf too.

PRIME MINISTER GRUEVSKI VISITS SINGAPORE AND JAPAN

PRESENTATION OF MACEDONIA’S INVESTMENT POSSIBILITIES IN AUSTRIA AND GERMANY

NINTH MEETING OF MACEDONIA-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE

In the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, the 9th Meeting of the Republic of Macedonia-European Union Joint Parliamentary Committee, attended by MPs of the Delegation of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia and MEPs of the Delegation of the European Parliament, took place on 3 and 4 November. On behalf of the Macedonian Government, the meeting, chaired by Kenan Hasipi and Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, was addressed by Teuta Arifi, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, and Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, and on behalf of the European Union by Robert Liddell, Charge d’Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union in Macedonia, and Richard Howitt, rapporteur for the Republic of Macedonia at the European Parliament. A number of issues relating to the relations of the Republic of Macedonia with the European Union were discussed and common recommendations were adopted.

8TH MEETING OF STABILIZATION AND ASSOCIATION COMMITTEEThe 8th Meeting of the Committee for Stabilization and Association took place in Brussels on 19 October, completing the eighth cycle of meetings of the seven sector subcommittees and the separate group within the framework of the Stabilization and Association Committee.

As regards the 2011 progress report and the Enlargement Strat-egy released by the European Commission on 12 October 2011, the Committee noted the renewed recommendation for opening membership negotiations with Macedonia, based on the assessment that the country met the required political criteria, and the draft decision for transition to the second stage of the Stabilization and Association Agreement. The Macedonian delegation welcomed the recommendation of the EC for opening accession talks in this year’s report. As regards the economic criteria, the Republic of Macedonia presented the macroeconomic performances in 2010 and 2011 and provided up-to-date information about its economic growth, focusing on the planned reforms to be undertaken with the aim of creating more jobs and improving the general business climate.

POLITICAL RELATIONS – MACEDONIA AND BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, paid a 2-day official visit to the Republic of Macedonia on 24 and 25 October. At the meeting with his host, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, it was concluded that

the political and economic relations between the two countries were excellent without any open issues. The presidents also discussed the situation in the region, the issues of shared interest, the economic cooperation and the internal problems of both countries. The guest extended gratitude for the support from the Republic of Macedonia in the process of European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the military contribution to the peacekeeping missions. Komšić also met Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski, and paid tribute and laid flowers at the grave of Goce Delcev in the Church of St. Spas.

Prime Minister Gruevski received the Deputy Chairman of the House of People of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the leader of the Party of Democratic Action, Sulejman Tihić, on 27 October. It was emphasized at the meeting that the cooperation between the two countries was characterized by a high level of friendship and identical stands as regards development of international and regional cooperation with a joint strategic goal of realizing the commitment to full-fledged membership of the European and Euro-Atlantic organizations.

POLITICAL AND CONSULAR CONSULTATIONSPolitical consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia, led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Zoran Petrov, and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Ivan Mrkić, were held in Skopje on 9 November. Satisfaction was expressed in the course of the talks with the present degree of development of the bilateral coopera-tion and the commitment to its promotion in all areas of shared interest was reconfirmed.

Consular consultations between delegations of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Macedonia and Ukraine, at which the legal framework between the two countries was discussed and experience was shared of issues relating to migration, visas and passports, were held in Skopje on 11 November.

SWEDISH-MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENTARY GROUP OF FRIENDSHIP FORMEDAt the initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Stockholm, for the first time of establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Kingdom of Sweden, a Swedish-Macedonian Group of Friendship was formed at the Swedish Parliament. The Group consists of deputies from various political parties. The establishment of the Group of Friendship aims to promote the parliamentary and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.


TURKISH THEATRE IN SKOPJE DECORATED

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, decorated the National Institution Turkish Theater-Skopje, which celebrates this year its 60th anniversary, with the Order of Merit for Macedonia, for its outstanding achievements in the dramatic arts and remarkable contribution to the promotion of multicul-turalism in Macedonia.

The Turkish Theatre in Skopje has so far received numerous awards at home and abroad, including a dozen awards for directing, best actor, best actress, best young actor, the 13 November and 11 October awards, etc.

PRESIDENT IVANOV DECORATES FACULTY OF LAW AND UNIVERSITY OF SEEOn 3 November, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Justinius Primus Faculty of Law at the Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, President Gjorge Ivanov decorated the Faculty of Law with the Order of Merit for Macedonia for excellence in the long years of education and research in the field of legal, political and journalism studies.

On 18 November, President Ivanov decorated also the first public-private higher education institution in Macedonia with the Albanian language as its dominant language of lecture, the University of Southeast Europe in Tetovo, with the Order of Merit for Macedonia.

EIGHTH CAMPAIGN “DAY OF THE TREE – PLANT YOUR FUTURE”Within the framework of the eighth campaign “Day of the Tree – Plant Your Future” organized on 23 November, 5.7 million seed-lings were planted on 400 locations. The campaign was carried out under the motto “We Are Planting Today – Writing and Sending a Letter of Peace.” Seedlings were planted near towns, by natural and artificial lakes, in national parks and along regional and local roads. The eighth drive for planting trees was conducted in the spirit of the celebration of the international United Nations event called “Year of the Tree.”

PROMOTION OF BOOKS BY MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATSBooks by three Macedonian diplomats were promoted in September and October.

“The Traditions of the Russian School of Diplomacy” by Dragan Janjatov (former Minister-Counselor at the Macedonian Embassy in Moscow) was promoted by Ambassador Trajan Petrovski and Professor Zila Lina. The author himself delivered a very interest-ing speech. The promotion was also attended by Evgeny Egorov, Minister-Counselor at the Russian Embassy in the Republic of Macedonia, and the publisher, Professor Vele Smilevski.

Professor Toni Deskovski, the State Counselor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zvonimir Popovik, and Ambassador Ognen Maleski promoted the book “Consular Affairs, Organization and Practice” by Ambassador Danco Markovski at the Army House. This volume, which has also been translated into English, represents precious literature to current and future Macedonian diplomats.

“Embassies” and “New Embassies” are the books in which Ambassador Luan Starova describes his diplomatic activities while

serving in Tunis and Paris. At the Bezisten in the Old Skopje Bazaar, these two books were promoted by publisher Branko Cvetkoski, Ambassador Viktor Gaber, the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Republic of Macedonia, Zlatko Kramarić, and drama theoretician Jelena Luzina.


AMBASSADOR ANGELOV ADDRESSES NATO CONFERENCEWithin the framework of the 15th annual autumn NATO confer-ence held in Budapest on 1 November organized by the Hungar-

ian Parliament, Darko Angelov, Ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to Hungary, addressed the Second Panel on the subject “The Power of the Renewed NATO Partnerships upon the Adop-tion of the New Strategic Concept of the Alliance.” He was the only invited ambassador at the conference from the ranks of the accredited ambassadors to Hungary.

AMBASSADOR DIMITROV DELIVERS LECTUREAt the invitation of the Committee Thorbecke, the Ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to the Kingdom of the Nether-lands, Nikola Dimitrov, delivered a lecture at the oldest club in The Hague, Sociëteit De Witte, on the subject “Macedonians or Europeans – Not Really a Choice.” Ambassador Dimitrov’s lec-ture held before the members of the Club, including a number of former senators, was dedicated to the process of accession of the Republic of Macedonia to international organizations, with stress being laid on the complex relation with the Hellenic Republic and the process of the EU enlargement.

The third annual cultur-al event “Thanks from the Macedonian to the American people 2011” was held on November 14 at the Ronald Reagan Building and Interna-tional Trade Center in Washington, DC. The concert also marked the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Macedonia.

The concert featured performances by artists Boris Trajanov (bari-tone) accompanied by Darko Marinovski (pi-ano), Venko Serafimov (guitar), Boban Mirko-vski (piano) and Aleksandar Ikonomov (guitar) with a program that included old Macedonian folk songs, jazz compositions by American authors and excerpts from famous classical masterpieces.

In his opening speech, the Macedonian Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Mr. Zoran Jolevski, expressed the apprecia-tion for the support and the cooperation of the U.S. since the early days after the independence of Macedonia and noted that there is no better sign of partnership and trust between the two countries when their soldiers are fighting shoulder to shoulder for the same values and ideals in other countries.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Af-fairs, Ambassador Philip Reeker, reaffirmed the strong interest of the U.S. in a democratic and prosperous Macedonia and stressed the firm U.S. support on Macedonia’s path towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration. DAS Reeker welcomed the progress

that country had made in the past 20 years, placing special em-phasis on Macedonia’s contribution to the ISAF Mission.

The evening was enriched by the pres-ence of officers from the Army of the Republic of Macedonia and the National Guard of Ver-mont. On behalf of the Minister of Defense of Macedonia, Fatmir Besimi, Ambassador Jolevski presented to General Roy the Appre-ciation Award from the Army of the Republic

of Macedonia to the National Guard of Vermont. On behalf of General Dubie, General Roy expressed gratitude for the honor presented to the Guard and stressed the importance and the role of the Macedonian soldiers in Afghanistan praising their accomplishments and professional skills.

This traditional event has grown into a distinctive feature of the Macedonian Embassy in Washington, D.C. in the holiday season. The Concert was attended by over 250 guests from the U.S. administration, Congress, diplomatic corps, NGOs and business, as well as from the Macedonian diaspora. Among the guests were the Macedonian Minister for Foreign Investments, Bill Pavleski, U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt and World Bank CEO Ruud Treffers. The event was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia and the American-Macedonian businessman Andy Peykoff.

TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING CONCERT “THANKS FROM THE MACEDONIAN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE 2011”


DAYS OF MACEDONIAN CULTURE IN MOSCOW AND SAINT PETERSBURG

Days of the Macedonia Culture took place in Moscow and Saint Petersburg on 15-18 October, through which some of the achieve-ments of the Macedonian culture were presented. At the opening of the event, at the Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Ana and Igor Durlovski, accompanied by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, performed music by Mozart, Handel, Bellini and Verdi, as well as traditional Macedonian folk songs.

In Saint Petersburg, the Macedonian culture was presented through an exhibition by painter Vladimir Georgievski, the play “Dangerous Liaisons,” a production by the National Theater of Bitola, and showings of old Macedonian documentaries. The event drew significant attention in the cultural circles of Saint Petersburg and Moscow.

During the Days of the Macedonian Culture, Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska and her Deputy Dragan Nedeljkovik paid a visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg and met a number of high-ranking officials from the Russian Ministry of Culture.

DAYS OF MACEDONIAN CULTURE IN TALLINNThe event Days of the Macedonian Culture was held in Tallinn, the European Capital of Culture 2011, on 2-6 November. The event was opened by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia, Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska, and her Estonian counterpart Rein Lang. Within the framework of the event, four culture projects and three gala premieres were held in the attendance of numerous representatives of the political, business and cultural elite of Tallinn, including representatives of the diplomatic corps.

MACEDONIA AT BOOK FAIR IN FRANKFURTAt the 63rd Book Fair held in Frankfurt, Germany, on 12-16 Oc-tober, the Republic of Macedonia was presented by 26 publishers and over 500 books and publications. The St Clement of Ohrid National and University Library presented the English translations of more than 130 volumes of Macedonian literature, anthologies, collections and scholarly works.

The massive project “130 Volumes of Macedonian Literature” in the English Language was presented on 14 October, the Macedonia Day. The anthologies of the Macedonian short story and the modern Macedonian poetry in the English language were promoted as well.

GOCE DAYS IN PODGORICA

On the occasion of the Macedonian national holiday, 11 October, the international cultural and scientific event “Goce Days” took place in Podgorica, Montenegro, on 10-12 October. Within the framework of the event, a panel was held on the subject “The Cul-tural and Historical Relations between the Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro,” in which a number of scholars, academicians and university professors from both countries took part. An exhibition of 35 art works from the International Art Colony in Vevcani, as well as a promotion of four books by the former President of the Republic of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, also took place.

FUNDRAISING LUNCH ORGANIZED BY THE MACEDONIAN EMBASSY IN THE HAGUE On 10 November, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a fundraising lunch took place with the aim of promoting the Republic of Macedonia and raising funds for the nongovernmental organization Center for Supporting People with Intellectual Disability PORAKA.

The event attended by 90 guests was an excellent opportunity for bringing the flavors and culture of Macedonia closer. The atmosphere was rendered even more pleasant with some Macedonian music.

POETRY READING BY NIKOLA MADZIROVThe Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Berlin staged a poetry reading by Nikola Madzirov, a poet, essayist and literary translator on 16 November.

The poems in his collection “Displaced Stone,” created far from Macedonia, won the Hubert Burda Award, presented to authors from Central and Eastern Europe. The collection has recently been translated into German as well.

Madzirov’s poetry has been translated into eighteen languages and based on some of his poems two short films have been made.


The event Macedonian Folklore in China took place in Beijing on 16-19 November. It was opened by Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska and started with an ethno exhibit at the Jintai Art Museum by author Gordana Vrencoska entitled “Macedonian folklore,” which included also a show of Macedonian traditional costumes. Within the framework of the event, the Chinese audience had also the opportunity to see the performances of the Ensemble for Traditional Dances and Songs Tanec at the Beijing Century Theater and in the seaside resort of Dalian.

The cultural cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the People’s Republic of China will be promoted in the future thanks to the Program for Cooperation in the area of culture in the next five years (2012-2017) signed by the Ministers of Culture of the two countries, Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska and Cai Wu. The Program represents a solid foundation for creating conditions for even closer cultural ties between the two countries.

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA CELEBRATES 62ND ANNIVERSARYChinese Ambassador Cui Zhiwei hosted a reception at the Ale-ksandar Palace Hotel on 29 September on the occasion of the

62nd anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China.

The reception was attended by Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Republic of Mac-edonia, Parliament Speaker Trajko Vel-janoski, Members of Parliament, includ-ing Silvana Boneva, Chairwoman of the

parliamentary group for cooperation with China, the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and education, representatives of the Macedonian-Chinese Association of Friendship and Cooperation, representatives of the diplomatic corps, the Chinese companies in Macedonia, etc.

DAY OF GERMAN UNITY MARKEDTwenty-two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Day of German Unity was celebrated for the 21st time on 3 October. In order to commemorate the event together with the friends of Germany in Macedonia, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Gudrun Elisabeth Steinacker, hosted a reception at the Restaurant Oreov Lad on 4 October.

Numerous guests were present including President Gjorge Ivanov, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambas-sadors and other representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps, as well as dignitaries from the Macedonian business, culture and science.

In order to give the celebration a real German flavour, Ger-man beer provided by Skopje’s sister city Nuremberg, as well as traditional German sausages were served.

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATEDThe 23 October, a very important national holiday in Hungary, was celebrated with the exhibition THE HOPE OF FREEDOM and a cocktail at the Continental Hotel organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary. The Republic of Mac-edonia was repre-sented by several government of-ficials. The event was also attended by members of the diplomatic corps, the Hun-garian community in the Republic of Macedonia, repre-sentatives of the religious communities and other distinguished representatives of the social and economic life in the country.

CZECH REPUBLIC MARKS NATIONAL DAYThe Embassy of the Czech Republic in Skopje hosted a solemn reception at the already traditional terrace of the Marakana res-taurant on 27 October to mark the National Day of the country.

Numerous guests, including the Prime Minister of the Repub-lic of Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski, Parliament Speaker Trajko

DIPLOMATICS CORPS SOCIAL EVENTS

MACEDONIAN FOLKLORE IN CHINA


MDB would like to extend a warm welcome and wish a successful diplomatic mission

in the Republic of Macedonia to the Ambassadors:

H.E. Mr. Iustinian FOCŞA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of Romania to the Republic of Macedonia

H.E. Mr. Przemysław CZYŻ, Ambassador Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Macedonia

H.E. Mr. Thomas Michael BAIER, Ambassador Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to the Republic of Macedonia

H.E. Mr. Khamkheuang BOUNTEUM, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to the

Republic of Macedonia, resident in Vienna

H.E. Mr. Ju Wang HWAN, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to

the Republic of Macedonia, resident in Sofia

H.E. Mr. Aliyar Lebbe ABDUL AZEEZ, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Macedonia, resident in Vienna

H.E. Mr. Juha OTTMAN, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Macedonia, resident in Zagreb

DIPLOMATICS CORPS SOCIAL EVENTSVeljanoski and several government ministers attended the ceremony. The presence of heads of diplomatic missions and members of the Diplomatic Corps was abundant and so was the presence of distin-guished representatives from the Macedonian business, science and culture. What makes the Embassy extremely proud is the presence of numerous representatives of various ethnicities and religions in the Republic of Macedonia.

TURKISH EMBASSY CELEBRATES NATIONAL DAYOn the occasion of the 88th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, the Turkish Embassy hosted a well at-

tended reception at the Aleksandar Palace Hotel on 29 October. The President of the Republic of Mac-edonia, Gjorge Ivanov, Parlia-ment Speaker Trajko Veljanoski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Foreign Min-

ister Nikola Poposki joined Turkish Ambassador Gürol Sökmensüer in the official commemoration of the anniversary. The reception was also attended by some 1000 guests.

Preferring a quiet reception due to the catastrophic earthquake and recent terrorist attacks in Turkey, Ambassador Sökmensüer expressed his gratitude for the solidarity expressed by the Mac-edonian Government in such a hard time for Turkey.

POLISH INDEPENDENCE DAYOn the occasion of the Polish Independence Day, commemorat-ing the anniversary of regaining independence by Poland on 11 November 1918, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Skopje hosted a solemn reception on 10 November.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Przemysław Czyż, welcomed numerous guests, including the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge

Ivanov, with members of his Cabinet, the Minis-ters of Defence, Culture, Health, and Environment and Physical Planning, representatives of the Prime Minister’s Of-fice and the Ministry of Foreign Affaires, officials from the Macedonian central and local admin-istration, ambassadors and representatives of Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited to the Republic of Macedonia, high representatives of the church communities, as well as eminent personalities from the Macedonian business, sci-ence and culture circles.

Delegations from the Polish KFOR and EULEX contingents, representatives of the Polish community in Macedonia, friends and supporters of the Polish–Macedonian friendship and cooperation were present as well.

The event was accompanied by a concert performed by the Macedonian artists of Duo Pan, who played pieces of classical music by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski.

BELGIAN KING’S DAY RECEPTIONOn the occasion of King’s Day, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, Marc Michielsen, hosted a reception at the National Gallery of Macedonia, Daut Pasin Amam on 15 November. In addition to the rich traditional Macedonian cuisine, Belgian chocolates were served as well. Apart from the representatives of the political, economic and cultural life, Belgian director Koen Mortier, whose film 22 May was shown immediately after the reception within the framework of the film festival Cinedays, at-tended the reception too.

MDB would like to wish a successful mission to our colleagues:

H.E. Mr. Andrej LEPAVCOV, Ambassador and Head of Mission of the

Republic of Macedonia to the EU in Brussels

H.E. Mr. Petar JOVANOVSKI, Ambassador Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Macedonia to the State of Israel

H.E. Mr. Slobodan TASOVSKI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of India

Mr. Sasko NAKOVSKI, Second Secretary at the Liaison Office of the

Republic of Macedonia in Thessaloniki


In September this year, after nearly 40 years spent in the diplomatic service, our colleague Miomir Ris-tovski retired. At the beginning of 1972, he started working in the Republic Secretariat for Foreign Rela-tions, the predecessor of the present-day Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He matured and built his career of professional diplomat alongside the growth of this independent state authority for foreign affairs.

In the course of his professional career, from an intern to an assistant republic secretary, that is to say, state counsellor to the Ministry, he also served as vice-consul in Benghazi, minister-counsellor in Rome and minister plenipotentiary in Podgorica. He made his contribution to the realization of Macedo-

nia’s foreign policy also as a member of numerous state delegations and interstate bodies.

At the celebration organized on the occasion of his retirement, our colleague Miomir Ristovski, as an example of lasting, practical and historic ben-efits in his long career, among other things, with great satisfaction, pointed out his contribution to the drafting of what is known as Ad-Memoir of 14 points, addressed to the Government of the Republic of Greece, and primarily to the drafting of the docu-ment of the Republic of Macedonia containing the answers regarding the meeting of the conditions for becoming an independent and sovereign state provided to the Badinter Arbitration Commission.

MIOMIR RISTOVSKI RETIRES

Photo: Goran Ristovski


Whenever I go through the pages of my diplomatic journal, I am invariably taken hold of by a variety of emotions and thoughts recalling the events that in a way entered and remained in the archives of Macedonia, as well as other countries.

I came to Bucharest in early March 2008 on the eve of the NATO Summit. In the conversation with Romanian Presi-dent, H.E. Traian Băsescu that followed the handing of the credentials, we raised

a number of highly significant issues that were also discussed at the meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the host country. I translated my conclusion into a brief thought – I came to a friendly country strongly supportive of Macedonia. The meetings that ensued confirmed that wonderful feeling that was new to me, reminding me of what I had in the country of my first diplomatic mission.

Walking through the boulevards of Bucharest, I tried to imagine how my paternal grandfather Avram, originally from Galicnik, spent his 12 years here as an economic migrant. He built houses that are now part of the marvelous city that is a museum of magnificent architectural works, palaces, castles, bridges… in Bucharest, the city of lakes and parks. I made a decision then that contacts should be established at all levels, including the highest one, and that the economic coopera-tion backed by numerous bilateral agreements should be promoted and new agreements should be concluded. The cultural cooperation was excellent and only in need of greater support. In addition, Mac-edonia’s tourist offer had to be presented in the best way possible. I asked myself if certain bad feelings of Macedonians were related to the Treaty of 1913 when Macedonia was partitioned in Bucharest. However, friendly Romania bears no responsibility for the Treaty.

I read in my journal the pages about the NATO Summit of early April 2008. It was a disastrous and unjust decision. Why? Twenty-six member states correctly assessed our efforts and so we had strong sup-port in Bucharest. Unfortunately, an irrational persistence concerning an irrational issue launched by a member state of the Alliance regarding our constitutional name – Republic of Macedonia, led to an incompre-hensible and unjust decision, a decision not to extend my country an official invitation. Will Bucharest be again seen in a bad and unfavora-ble connotation? Romania was once again not to blame. However, my optimism always prevails and I continued working on positive projects.

The participation in the event Goce Days, the wonderful recep-tion and talks at the Academy of Romania and the Universities in Bucharest and Craiova, the co-participation of the Association of Macedonians led by MP Liana Dumitrescu, a deputy of Macedonians in the Romanian Parliament, confirmed that the cultural compo-

nent was strong and traditionally went on, as was the case with the promotion of the Year of the Macedonian Language or the publica-tion of the anthology of works by Academician Goran Stefanovski for the first time in the Romanian language. There followed books by Plevnes and Rade Siljan, preceded by a series of Macedonian poets led by Academician Mateja Matevski. Film festivals, Days of the Macedonian Film, Labina receiving a cinematography award, Mancevski, Mitrikjeski and other authors capture the audience. Culture is impossible without a strong economy.

May 2010. Intensive preparations for harmonization of an agree-ment on economic cooperation, tourism, education. Preparations for a business forum in Skopje within the framework of the Romanian president’s official visit to Macedonia. An extraordinary reception, many useful conversations and advice from a head of state of a NATO and EU member state.

At the start of this year, Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki paid a return visit to his counterpart Baconschi. Agreements on cooperation were signed between the two ministries. A perspective and a good base for expanding the cooperation of the two diplomatic services.

In the second half of 2011, better economic results were achieved. The first quantities of Macedonian wine were exported to Romania. The first tourist agents with serious plans left for Macedonia.

Early October 2011. Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov paid a return visit to Romania. At the meetings with his host, President Basescu, Prime Minister Boc, and the President of the Senate, the friendship was confirmed, and a commitment to further support and a shared wish for closer economic cooperation were expressed. President Ivanov presented the concluded agreements from this area at the Business Forum in Bucharest. That afternoon another Business Forum took place in Ploieşti. Macedonian honorary consuls Gogulescu and Mihaescu know their job. An exceptionally pleasant meeting and meaningful conversation at the meeting between the Macedonian president and the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Daniel. A reminder that the Romanian Orthodox Church gave the blessing in the declaration of the autocephaly of the Macedo-nian Orthodox Church. The president receives the title doctor honoris causa from the Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University. Hundreds of people attend the ceremony and the president’s inspirational speech on this occasion leaves no one indifferent. A ceremony at the Associa-tion of Macedonians – President Ivanov decorates Liana Dumitrescu with Order of Merit for Macedonia posthumously. The meeting with the Macedonians in Romania was beautiful, heartwarming and unforgettable. The Macedonians in Romania and the Vlachs in Macedonia are a secure and lasting bridge of cooperation. The close and sincere friendship between the Republic of Macedonia and Ro-mania has a bright future. This thought inspires a wonderful feeling.

Ljupco ARSOVSKIExtraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the

Republic of Macedonia to Romania

MACEDONIA AND ROMANIA, FRIENDLY COUNTRIES

DIPLOMATIC DIARY

Macedonian diplomatic bulletin No. 54-55

Documents

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eighth campaign