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MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN No. 94 – 20152

DiploMAtic NeWs

Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin was founded in October 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia.

Filip II Makedonski 7, 1000 Skopje Republic of Macedonia

[email protected]

Editor:Vladimir Efremovski

Editorial Board:Zuko Rizvanski, Shaban Jashari, Katerina Stavreska, Olga Janevska Jovanovik, and Sejfullah Shaqiri

Adviser:Metodija Belevski

Photo: Ljupco Blagoevski

Published monthly by:Macedonian Information Centre

Director: Dragan Antonov

Chief Translator: Aleksandra Ilievska

MDB

No. 94April 2015

The articles published in Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin do not necessarily represent the views of the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Macedonian Information Centre.

© 2015

Naum Naumovski Borce 73, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia www.micnews.com.mk

PrESIDENt IvANOv vISItS AzErbAIjAN

PrESIDENt IvANOv vISItS AlbANIA

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov paid a working visit to the Republic

of Azerbaijan from 28 to 30 April. At his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, opinions were shared on the overall bilateral relations and statements were jointly made that now that the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations was marked relations were based on mutual understanding, friendship and mutual interest, which should result in stronger economic and trade cooperation in the future.

President Ivanov took part in and addressed the 3rd Global Forum titled

“Building Trust in the Emerging World Order” in Baku organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the Madrid Club and the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of Azerbaijan.

In Baku President Ivanov also addressed the International Conference titled “New Paradigm for Human Development” organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and the World Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the business forum at which the potentials for investment and the incentives offered to foreign investors in the Republic of Macedonia were presented.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov paid an official visit to the Republic of

Albania on 2 and 3 April at the invitation of Albanian President Bujar Nishani. At the meeting and the joint press conference later, Presidents Ivanov and Nishani said the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Albania had a shared future and with closer economic cooperation, maintaining of good neighborly relations and mutual trust a European future and better standard of living would be ensured. President Ivanov said he expected support from the Republic of Albania for Macedonia’s NATO integration. In regard to the Macedonian community in Albania and the Albanian in Macedonia, the two heads of state agreed that they should be the bridge of understanding and cooperation between the two countries.

Within the framework of his visit, President Ivanov also met Albanian Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta, Prime Minister Edi Rama, Tirana Mayor and opposition leader Lulzim Basha and the Head of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania.

President Ivanov visited the Municipality of Pustec and met members of the Macedonian national minority in the Republic of Albania. In recognition of his contribution to the rights of the Macedonian community in neighboring Albania, the Municipality of Pustec declared him an honorable citizen, while Mayor Edmond Temelko presented him with a plaque.

No. 94 – 2015 MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN 3

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The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, paid a working visit to the Republic of Turkey from 8 to 11

April, where he attended the 18th Eurasian Economic Summit of the Marmara Foundation in Istanbul. President Ivanov addressed the opening ceremony of the Eurasian Economic Summit and the session of the heads of state titled “Road to Peace: Where Is Humanity Going?”

The Eurasian Economic Summit was attended by present and former presidents, prime ministers, ministers, and other distinguished figures from the social and political life, the non-

governmental sector and the business communities of about 40 countries.

During his visit to Turkey, President Ivanov also held a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.

In addition to corporate sector representatives, the Macedonian delegation included the Ministers without Portfolio responsible for attracting foreign investments, Jerry Naumoff and Furkan Chako, who presented the conditions for investment in the Republic of Macedonia.

PrESIDENt IvANOv AttENDS 18th EUrASIAN ECONOMIC SUMMIt IN tUrkEy

In Brussels on 21 April in the attendance of the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement

Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his counterparts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo agreed that the Western Balkan countries should connect to the main infrastructure network of the European Union. This meeting was a follow-up to the Conference in Berlin last year and the ministerial meetings in Belgrade and Prishtina.

It was decided at the Conference that the road, river and air traffic of the Balkans should be integrated into the common European network and that the Union should offer investment cooperation and support for concrete infrastructure projects important to the region. To this effect, a Declaration was adopted in which promotion of regional cooperation and economic stability was agreed upon as a common tool in meeting European Union standards and membership criteria.

On the sidelines of the conference, Prime Minister Gruevski met with Commissioner Hahn and the prime ministers of the participating states.

bAlkAN PrIME MINIStErS MAkE DEAl ON trANSPOrt CONNECtION


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Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski received representatives of the working group of the European

Council responsible for European Union enlargement on 22 April. The issues tabled at the meeting included the agenda of the Government in carrying out reforms and measures necessary for meeting European Union membership criteria.

Prime Minister Gruevski informed the members of the working group that EU membership was a strategic commitment of the Republic of Macedonia. The foreign policy aspects of the process of European integration were also tabled. In that regard, Prime Minister Gruevski stressed the commitment to further promotion of good-neighborly relations and regional cooperation.

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski received a delegation of the permanent representatives to the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 17 April. The cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the OSCE was positively assessed and the contribution of the OSCE to the process of carrying out reforms was welcomed at the meeting. The

prime minister stressed that the reform process and the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the country was the fundamental commitment of the Macedonian Government dedicated to promoting standards in every social sphere and promoting opportunities for all citizens.

Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki addressed the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Macedonian Parliament on 8 April on the

most significant achievements of the Macedonian foreign policy in 2014 and its main priorities in 2015.

Minister Poposki outlined the activities undertaken for the purpose of attaining the strategic foreign policy goals and priorities: receiving an invitation for NATO membership, being set a date for opening EU membership negotiations, resolving the name dispute and conducting stronger economic and public diplomacy. In the context of regional cooperation, he reported about the chairmanship of SEEGROUP, an informal NATO forum, at which the perspectives and challenges of the SEE countries in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration were tabled, and the ongoing chairmanship of the Central European Initiative.

A considerable part of his address also focused on the relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the EU and the efforts for maintaining an intensive dialogue with the EC with the aim of continuing the reforms defined by the priorities of the High Level

Accession Dialogue. Minister Poposki welcomed the initiative that the EC had launched for closer cooperation among the Western Balkan countries. In the course of 2014, the Republic of Macedonia continued to develop good-neighborly relations and promote regional cooperation. Minister Poposki also addressed Macedonia’s bilateral relations with European and non-European countries, with some of which 20 years of establishing diplomatic relations had been marked.

Minister Poposki informed about the realized activities and future plans in the fields of economic and public diplomacy and also addressed the activities of the Institute for Geostrategic Research and Foreign Policy and the Diplomatic Academy.

He paid special attention to the activities relating to strengthening communication and promoting cooperation with the Macedonian national minorities in the neighboring countries and with the Macedonian communities around the world. In regard to the consular activities of the Ministry, he laid stress on the activities for protection of the interests of the Macedonian citizens abroad.

PM grUEvSkI MEEtS EUrOPEAN COUNCIl OFFICIAlS

PM grUEvSkI rECEIvES OSCE DElEgAtION

FM POPOSkI ADDrESSES MACEDONIAN FOrEIgN AFFAIrS COMMIttEE


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At the invitation of Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign

Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, Didier Reynders, paid an official visit to the Republic of Macedonia on 5 and 6 April. The talks between the two ministers focused on bilateral cooperation, Macedonia’s EU and NATO membership bid, the situation in the region, the issues of interest to the international community and the activities related the Belgian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Ministers Poposki and Reynders said bilateral cooperation was dynamic and maintained through direct communication at all levels. The rise of economic cooperation is particularly important, they said, to which considerable contribution has been made by the investment of the Belgian company Van Hool. Minister Reynders reaffirmed the principled and consistent policy of the Kingdom of Belgium in supporting European Union and NATO enlargement through meeting set membership criteria. He stressed that it would be best to open membership negotiations while simultaneously resolving pending issues.

The guest from the Kingdom of Belgium was also received by Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Besimi.

On 16 April the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia,

Nikola Poposki, received the United States

Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Hoyt Brian Yee, during his working visit to the Republic of Macedonia.

Poposki and Yee tabled on that occasion the overall relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the United States of America emphasizing the mutual interest of promoting further the strategic partnership, political dialogue and bilateral cooperation through new initiatives and projects in all areas of shared interest.

They particularly focused on the effort of the Republic of Macedonia to unblock its integration into NATO and the European

Union in accordance with its main strategic commitments. In this regard, Minister Poposki underlined the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to seeking out a mutually agreeable solution to the imposed name row as soon as possible.

The ongoing political processes in the Republic of Macedonia were also tabled. Minister Poposki highlighted in that regard the significance of resolving all open internal issues within the framework of the legal and political institutions of the state.

Mr. Yee also had a meeting with Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

bElgIAN DEPUty PM AND FM rEyNDErS vISItS MACEDONIA

FM POPOSkI MEEtS US DEPUty ASSIStANt SECrEtAry FOr EUrOPEAN AND EUrASIAN AFFAIrS yEE


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Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki together with the foreign ministers of Hungary, Greece and Serbia and the

minister for EU affairs of Turkey participated in the ministerial meeting focusing on energy stability in Central and Southeastern Europe in Budapest on 7 April.

At the meeting held at the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, the benefits for the countries from the diversification of the routes and sources of supply of natural gas from the Republic of Turkey were considered and a declaration on promoting mutual energy cooperation was adopted.

Minister Poposki held separate meetings with Hungarian Minister Szijjarto, Turkish EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.

FM POPOSkI AttENDS MINIStErIAl MEEtINg IN bUDAPESt

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia,

Nikola Poposki, attended the Brdo Process ministerial meeting at Brdo near Kranj, the Republic of Slovenia, on 23 April. The meeting was hosted by Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and was attended by the ministers of foreign affairs of the EU member states and of the countries of the region—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia,

Serbia and Montenegro—as well as by the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn.

Security issues of importance to Europe’s political stability and the European integration effort of the Western Balkan countries at all levels were debated at the meeting.

Minister Poposki also held fringe meetings with his counterparts including with hosts Erjavec and Fabius.

FM POPOSkI AttENDS brDO PrOCESS MINIStErIAl MEEtINg


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On 17 April Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki held a meeting with Ayşe Cihan Sultanoğlu, Assistant Secretary

General of the United Nations and Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (RBEC) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), during her official visit to the Republic of Macedonia.

Mutual satisfaction with the excellent cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN officials in Macedonia was expressed at the meeting. Opinions on the current activities of the cooperation with the UNDP and the drafting of the new framework for development cooperation titled “Partnership for Sustainable Growth—UN Strategy 2016–2020” were also shared.

On 17 April Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki received Anna Záborská, Slovak Member of the European Parliament from

the European People’s Party, who paid a working visit to the Republic of Macedonia.

Issues relating to the integration of the Republic of Macedonia into the European Union and to the ongoing political situation were tabled at the meeting. The support for the process of enlargement and for the European integration of the Republic of Macedonia was reiterated on that occasion.

FM POPOSkI MEEtS CIhAN SUltANOglU

FM POPOSkI MEEtS MEP ANNA zábOrSká

On 29 April Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki received Robert Walter, rapporteur on the Post-Monitoring Dialogue of the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) with the Republic of Macedonia, during his working visit to the Republic of Macedonia.

Minister Poposki informed the PACE official about the measures taken to address the issues identified by the PACE in the Resolution of June 2013 and about the dialogue of the Republic of Macedonia with the monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe such as the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the Group of States against Corruption.

FM POPOSkI MEEtS PACE rAPPOrtEUr rObErt wAltEr


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On 27 April at the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs political consultations were held on bilateral

and European issues between the ministries of foreign affairs of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Estonia led by the State Secretary Elena Kuzmanovska and the Undersecretary for European and Transatlantic Relations Mart Laanemäe respectively. During his visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Undersecretary Laanemäe was also received by Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki.

The delegations said at the meeting they were pleased with the positive development of overall relations and cooperation between the two countries, which celebrate the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations this year. The possibilities for further advancement of cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, tourism, defense, labor and social policy, education and health were considered. The delegations also exchanged views on the international security situation and other foreign policy affairs.

FOrEIgN MINIStrIES OF MACEDONIA AND EStONIA hOlD POlItICAl CONSUltAtIONS

In the course of his visit to Brussels on 2 April, Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki held several meetings with MEPs, diplomats of

EU member states and officials from the European External Action Service.

His talks with the President of the European People’s Party, Joseph Daul, the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, Alain Le Roy, and MEPs Alojz Peterle, Tonino Picula and Knut Fleckenstein focused on the annual report on Macedonia’s progress in meeting EU membership criteria.

MINIStEr POPOSkI’S wOrkINg ACtIvItIES IN brUSSElS


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Invited by the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, distinguished Israeli expert on economy and diplomacy

Jacob Fass held a lecture on 2 April on the subject of how to promote a country’s economic relations.

Mr. Fass, who is currently working in the private sector and is advisor to state institutions in several countries, presented Israel’s economic experience and expounded on the possibilities of its application in the Republic of Macedonia, for example through the establishment of a national investment fund for the support of hi-tech companies. He particularly paid attention to the need for liberalizing the competitiveness of ideas and to stimulating innovations.

FOrMEr ISrAElI DIPlOMAt jACOb FASS DElIvErS lECtUrE At DIPlOMAtIC ACADEMy

A delegation of the Republic of Macedonia led by Deputy Foreign Minister Dragana Kiprijanovska took part in the Thirteenth

United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held in Doha from 12 to 19 April. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, spoke at the opening of the Congress in the attendance of His Highness, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kiprijanovska delivered her address in the working part of the Congress Agenda reaffirming the position of the Republic of Macedonia and its commitment to strengthening the mechanisms for crime prevention and to promoting the principle of rule of law at a national level. The Doha Declaration on combating sophisticated forms of organized crime was adopted at the Congress. During her stay in Doha, Ms. Kiprijanovska met the First Assistant to the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi.

DEPUty FM kIPrIjANOvSkA AttENDS UN CONgrESS IN DOhA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs celebrat-ed 29 April, Day of the Macedonian

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a holiday that symbolizes the creation of the Macedonian diplomatic service and its development since 1969 to date. The staff of the Ministry was addressed by Deputy Foreign Minister Dragana Kiprijanovska. She took the op-portunity to present a brief history and underline the significance of the institution for the promotion of the stands and inter-ests of the Republic of Macedonia around the world.

Ms. Kiprijanovska presented plaques to the MFA employees who retired. This year the traditional Young Diplomat of the Year Award went to Katerina Boevska.

DAy OF MACEDONIAN MINIStry OF FOrEIgN AFFAIrS MArkED


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April 20, 2015 – is an anniversary in the history of Ukrainian-

Macedonian cooperation. 20 years ago on this day diplomatic relations between our countries were established.

In the context of eternity, this historic period does not amount to much. However, from the standpoint of the formation of two young states, which declared their independence in 1991 – this is an era. This era is saturated with important and challenging developments, an integral part of which is the relationships between the two countries. Both countries were formed because of the collapse of two federal state entities, the effects of which are still felt, and will continue to be experienced for a long while. However, there are no problematic issues in relations

between Ukraine and the Republic of Macedonia, which could have a negative impact on the continued development of the countries’ good relations. On the contrary, since they were established, the relations between the two countries have been friendly, based on mutual respect, and a common strategic goal – full entry into the European family of nations.

The time that has passed has not been wasted. This is evidenced by the variety of relationships that are established and developed at different administrative levels - from the municipal to the state, and in various areas of bilateral cooperation: political, economic, scientific, cultural, humanitarian, and so forth. This ongoing process does not cease. The achievements are obvious. Cooperation can be quantified. It can be

measured by the number of agreements signed and activities implemented, by the volume of mutual trade and investments, by tons of products and kilometers of pipelines. An evaluation that considers all the above is correct.

Nevertheless, the main element for evaluation has always been and remains the human factor. The most important achievement of the first two decades – is the building of relationships between individuals, and the emergence and strengthening of informal mutual interest, which is constantly deepened. In fact, this mutual interest becomes increasingly multi-faceted, and is the factor that allows us to look into the future of Ukrainian-Macedonian cooperation with confidence and hopefulness.

wE lOOk INtO thE FUtUrE OF UkrAINIAN-MACEDONIAN COOPErAtION wIth CONFIDENCE AND hOPEFUlNESS

20 years of diplomatic relations H.E. Mr. Yurii Honcharuk , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Macedonia

The relations between the two countries have been friendly, based on mutual respect, and a common strategic goal – full entry into the European family of nations


DiploMAtic NeWs

20 years of diplomatic relations H.E. Mr. Stole Zmejkoski, Ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to Ukraine

20 yEArS OF EStAblIShINg DIPlOMAtIC rElAtIONS wIth UkrAINE

Ukraine is a friendly country with which we celebrate 20 years of

maintaining fruitful diplomatic relations marked by a spirit of trust and absence of any open or contentious issues, as well as by cooperation in a great many areas of mutual interest. Both countries are committed to building political dialogue in the future as well, with special emphasis on the continuation of the mutual contacts and the intensification of the exchange of visits, which used to be very intense in the first decade of establishing relations. Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski paid an official visit to Ukraine in 2010 and Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Peševski has recently attended the conference on supporting Ukraine in Kiev. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, is expected to attend the CEI Summit in Ohrid in June this year. The result of these dynamic relations is the abundant legal framework with mutually ratified agreements in various areas of shared interest. Particularly significant

among them is the free trade agreement, the agreement on trade and economic cooperation, and the agreement on encouragement and mutual protection of investments. This legal basis ensures new potentials in the areas of economy, investments and trade, as well as a joint approach to third markets, something on which we intend to work together and work hard in the period ahead. Our two countries also maintain close cooperation in other areas of shared interest such as education, science and culture. As far as education is concerned, it is worth mentioning that an agreement has been reached on opening departments within Macedonia and Ukraine’s state universities for learning our respective languages, while in the field of science the results of the intense cooperation are the meetings of our academies of sciences being regularly held once a year. Cultural cooperation has been developed and advanced on a regular basis also through the 4-year programs for cooperation. A new program for the next four years has

already been drafted. Several Week of Macedonian/Ukrainian Culture events have thus far been held, being in the service of bringing the two nations closer together and helping them learn more about the culture and tradition of the other. Also, a statute of the renowned Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko has been mounted in Skopje and a statue of St Clement of Ohrid will soon be erected in Kiev.

This year saw the 3-year extension of the visa-free regime for the citizens of both countries whereby the effort to extend mutual support and promote bilateral relations continued.

What is left to do in the period ahead is to continue nurturing our friendly relations intertwined with a great deal of common history, culture, tradition and religion and to enrich and expand them in all the areas of common interest hoping for lasting peace, prosperity and wellbeing for Ukraine and its people.

What is left to do in the period ahead is to continue nurturing our friendly relations

Your Excellency, as new Ambassador of the United Mexican States to the Republic of Macedonia, please give us an assessment of the relations between our two friendly countries. What are the priority areas of mutual interest and how can bilateral coopera-tion further intensify?

Relations between our countries run smoothly and keep a high level of cordiality. Mexico’s relationship with Macedonia goes back to the establishment of our Embassy in the former Yugoslav Federa-tion, of which Macedonia was an important Republic. With its full independence, actually, ties have remained, not started. Certainly, when we talk about relations between countries trade is a reference; in this context we both have to intensify our contacts and, through dialogue, discover areas where we could boost economic coopera-tion. For example, technology in the field of power generation, communications and telephony, auto parts, without being limited to those areas as, in conversations, issues will lead us to discover aspects that we had not previously conceived. Of course, political dialogue serves to strengthen friendship, so the legislative diploma-cy, through meetings between parliamentarians of both countries, will lead us to define common positions to be presented jointly with international organizations. In terms of culture, both countries are heirs to a great history and therefore major contributors of knowl-edge and social evolution, as well as traditions. For this reason there will always be scholars interested in research and in the deepening of knowledge, and there could also be temporary exchange of col-lections of our museums. As far as tourism is concerned, the two countries also have beautiful places that deserve to be visited, so it’s just a matter of time, because the material is there.

What is your view on holding meetings more frequently and exchanging delegations on various levels due to the lack of resi-dent embassies and on enhancing the economic cooperation be-tween our two countries with an economic exchange increase?

It is true that the budgetary situation gravitates against the establishment of resident embassies, not lack of political will; ratio-nality in public spending does not allow it for the moment, but that should not discourage the rapprochement between government officials and businessmen. To foster dialogue, we must promote meetings between public servants of different levels and activity, so we’ll be able to discover the fields in which we can really cooper-ate and how we could carry out such cooperation. The exchange of delegations of political, legislative and entrepreneurial nature will allow us to expand the friendly horizon of relations between our two countries.

Mexican foreign policy relations have changed substantially in the past several decades and currently Mexico is a responsible regional and global player. What are the most important foreign policy priorities of your country?

The position of the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, is that the country is active in the international arena and therefore should act accordingly, assuming our global responsibility. Cer-tainly geopolitics sets priorities or motivates more substantive and immediate reaction, but Mexicans do not limit themselves to that. We understand that modern communications have shrunk the world and what happens in one place ends up affecting another, one way or the other, so we must be attentive to the events and act accordingly. In this context, we care about climate change, uncon-trolled arms trafficking, sustainable development and cooperation, gender equality, reduction of inequality among countries, water care, observance of democracy in the constitution of governance and respect for human rights, for example.

Mexican leaders, business owners and intellectuals talk realis-tically about regional leadership and strong economic ties to Eu-rope and Asia. With its strong economic relationship to a num-ber of countries within and outside North America, membership in almost sixty major international organizations, and its pledge to promote democracy and human rights, Mexico is undeniably a global economic actor. What are the most important economic challenges of your country in the twenty-first century?

The main objective is to grow in a sustained manner at rates commensurate with the size of our population growth and to cover lags. You have to employ new generations as they are entering the labor market and only with sufficient growth we will succeed. Si-multaneously our retired population is increasing and the expecta-tions of longevity are extended. Therefore to ensure an adequate pension that guarantees quality of life and medical care is another challenge, we are aware of this. We still have a reduced marginal population that must be incorporated into the levels of develop-ment of the majority. We need to promote investment in high tech-nology in various fields to accommodate university graduates who

We Need to Hold More MeetiNgs BetWeeN officials at differeNt levels

H.E. Mr. José Evaristo Ramón Xilotl Ramírez, Ambassador of Mexico to Macedonia

INTERVIEW


DiploMAcy AND coMMuNity

have remarkable preparation, as well as receive those who come from other countries and want to join Mexico.

Your Excellency, the Mexican people are exceedingly warm and hospitable. Unlike North America, the Mexican culture is known for being very „touchy-feely“, similar to parts of Europe. Please tell us something about the most important Mexican cul-tural celebrations and traditions?

We Mexicans have celebrations almost year round, but the most popular, in the order of the Julian calendar, are: La Rosca de Reyes, Anniversary of the Start of the Struggle for Independence, the Commemoration of the Dead, and The Posadas. The first is cel-ebrated on January 6. The date has a religious origin and recalls the day that the Wise Men brought gifts to baby Jesus for veneration and continue giving away toys to children around the world during the previous night and before dawn. The whole family is slicing the Rosca de Reyes, delicious bread in a circle and each member of the family and friends cut a piece each. If inside of it appears a small plastic or porcelain doll, then the person is committed to offering breakfast with tamales on February 2, when Child Jesus gets up and is dressed. The Independence Anniversary party is a celebra-tion of that “Grito” (cry or scream) that summoned us Mexicans to be an independent country. The word has a meaning more in our

language, exclusively Mexican, because we associate it to the call of freedom as a nation. It reminds us of the Founding Father of my Nation, a priest who rang the church bells at dawn on September 16, and motivated the entire population to take up arms. Mexicans exalt such events assisting to the main square of each population to make a replica headed by the higher authority of the city, the State or in the Nation’s Capital by the Republic President. We honor our loved ones who have passed away on November 2nd. This com-memoration is confluence of pre-Hispanic culture and Christian evangelization. We erect altars to place photographs of memorable people, accompanied by candles, their favorite food and drink, ob-jects they liked or instruments they used to play so that they should “come down” to earth and enjoy them. Las Posadas (inns or hostels) is a celebration of several nights in mid-December until Christmas Eve that recalls the journey of Saint Joseph and Virgin Mary and their looking for accommodation before the birth of Jesus, Son of God. A procession with prayers is customary, all carrying small candles up to the host’s door requesting a shelter with songs, the re-luctant answer is also sung to finally open the doors to all pilgrims who each receive an Aguinaldo (a bag containing treats of the sea-son). The children break the piñata filled with candy and fruit and food and drink, sometimes dancing for the adults.

DUtCh EMbASSy MArkS kINg’S DAy

To celebrate April 27th, King’s Day, King Willem Alexander’s birthday and a Dutch national holiday, the Ambassador of the Netherlands,

Joop Scheffers, hosted a reception at the Bushi hotel. Among the guests were diplomats, businessmen, journalists, human rights activists, politicians and many more. In his speech, Ambassador Scheffers pointed out that the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Macedonia were developing well.

“But I have also noted that there is a great potential for much more trade and investment between our two countries. I am confident that this potential will be gradually exploited as the destiny of your country is in the EU and NATO,” he added.


DiploMAcy AND coMMuNity

Thirty students of American University’s Brussels Center visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of

Macedonia on 8 April. Directors Zvonko Mucunski, Ramadan Nazifi, Goran Stevčevski and Igor Džundev held lectures to

the students informing them about the reforms Macedonia had carried out, the progress it had made on its way to Euro-Atlantic integration, its relations with neighbors and its position in the multilateral sphere.

StUDENtS OF AMErICAN UNIvErSIty’S brUSSElS CENtEr vISIt MFA

Mr. Per-Olof OLOFSSON, Head of International Management Group-IMG Mission in Skopje

INTERVIEW

All IMG Projects contrIbute to better PublIc servIce ProvIsIon to cItIzens

Mr. Olofsson, as Head of International Management Group-

IMG Mission in Skopje, responsible for the Balkan region, what could you tell us about your activities?

In the region of the Balkans, IMG has been implementing projects in various fields for over 20 years. Although the region covers several countries, they all to a certain extent face the same challenges and have similar needs. This is especially true in relation to the respective EU accession process, infrastructural needs, modernization of the public services, etc.

In its projects IMG has relied much on the national expertise, and successfully combined it with the specific know-how from the EU and other donor countries. This has proven to be a “winning” model, as we tend to provide a support that is sustainable, fully integrated into the local systems and that of course addresses the most important needs as defined by the national and local authorities. I should point out that in the vast majority of cases international specialists have been positively surprised by the high level of expertise that exists within the Balkan countries and how well the cooperation generally functions. In that sense, one of my key activities is coordination of

various projects and initiatives so that wherever possible we can bring on the synergic effect and utilize the know-how and lessons learned including that of local expertise from any previous similar project. In this way there is a constant transfer of competence and capacity into the national systems.

In the Western Balkan countries, IMG runs several projects of building

institutional capacities in education, public administration, environment, and other sectors. Are you satisfied with the projects that have thus far been carried out?

As I mentioned, the projects are in general based on thorough needs assessments and prioritization by the national and local authorities. IMG sometimes supports this process, however the final decision is made by the countries themselves as they know best what the most important projects are in relation to their wider reform efforts.

That being said, so far all the projects that were implemented with the support of IMG have showed to be feasible and of high relevance, and have contributed to a better quality of e.g. public service provision to the citizens.

What we, in close cooperation with the national counterparts, try to ensure is that each project creates the improvement for the citizens who ultimately are the end users of the services, but also to all other stakeholders. In capacity building projects we regularly measure the level of satisfaction of the civil servants, and I must say that the marks have been almost uniformly excellent. A number of projects significantly contributed to the improvement of the civil servants’ working conditions, working routines and management.

From the implementation perspective, I can say that we provide a quality

assurance, and generally speaking the projects fulfil the intended objectives.

So yes, I can confidently say that I am very satisfied with the projects that have been carried out and that donors have found that their investments have been put to intended and good use; and most importantly that the final beneficiaries have been able to record satisfactory results.

Mr. Olofsson, what do you think of the cooperation between

the IMG Mission in Skopje and the relevant institutions in the Republic of Macedonia and what are you future plans and projects?

IMG in Macedonia has been quite active since 2001, and very productive. I can easily say that most of the significant projects have effectively been implemented in Macedonia owing much to the excellent cooperation with the relevant institutions on local and central level and their support. The cooperation with various Ministries such as the Ministry of Transport and Communication, Education, Culture, Economy, Local Self-government, etc., has been very efficient, as well as with many Municipalities such as Tetovo, Gostivar, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Strumica, Bitola, to mention a few. As mentioned earlier, the number of Projects in Macedonia has been quite large.

Due to the fact that the Donor Community has decreased in Macedonia, the funds have decreased for Development Projects as well. IMG is financed with public funds for development cooperation, therefore the intensity of IMG operated Projects in Macedonia has consequently also decreased. Nevertheless, IMG has recently completed a project financed by the British Embassy with the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning


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of Macedonia and is currently preparing new Project initiatives in the field of Education and Employment within the field of Vocational Education and Training. This area is in need of much attention in Macedonia and IMG has

a solid track record within this field and can, given the opportunity, apply methodologies in Macedonia that has already proven effective. This means that we can quickly begin reaching results and see positive outcomes for Employment

and skills qualifications. Several local partners have been identified for this initiative and IMG is looking forward to start up with the actual implementation of these Projects.


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MACEDONIAN NAtIONAl thEAtEr CElEbrAtES 70th ANNIvErSAry

The performance staged on the occasion of the jubilee started with the line:

“The Sun, how close is the Sun” which was first uttered by actress Vera Vučkova on 3 April seven decades ago in the play “Platon Krechet” by Soviet playwright Oleksandr Korniychuk, directed by Dimitar Kostarov, with which the history of the Macedonian National Theater began. The continuation toward new jubilees was marked with the refrain of Queen’s song “The Show Must Go On”.

On behalf of the company of the oldest theater house in Macedonia, the audience was welcomed by director Dejan Liliќ. Tribute was paid to all who had ever been part of the Macedonian National Theater, who found it and contributed to its growth. The memory of those who passed away was cherished with short stories and memorabilia that they used daily

and were significant for their career at the Macedonian National Theater. Some of those objects, such as costumes, sketches, documents and paintings are shown at the Macedonian National Theater exhibition that opened on 3 April and is set to close on 20 June. The fund of the museum has collected 15,000 exhibits over the past two years through donations as well as purchases by the Ministry of Culture. Culture Minister Kančeska-Milevska stressed that this was the most comprehensive and ambitious theater exhibition ever staged in Macedonia.

The show “The Eternal House” with which the company of the Macedonian

National Theater began working in the new building in 2013 was performed within the framework of the jubilee celebrations. In the period ahead, the Macedonian National Theater will stage premieres, participate in a festival in Budapest and host the second edition of the international MNT Fest which opens on 27 May.

The 70th anniversary of the establishment of Prosvetno delo and

of the publication of the first Primer in the Macedonian language was celebrated

on 16 April. On its 70th birthday, this publishing house published the first Audio Primer in the Macedonian language thus continuing the tradition of being the mainstay of Macedonian education and learning. In the course of Prosvetno delo’s seven-decade history, numerous signature volumes were published, including the first printed book in the Macedonian language, “Collection of Macedonian Traditional Songs”, the first Macedonian “Primer”, the first “Macedonian Language Grammar”,

the first “Macedonian Orthography” volume, the first book translated into Macedonian—“Serdarot” by Grigor Prličev, “Grammar of the Macedonian Standard Language” by Blaže Koneski, “Macedonian Language Orthography and Orthographic Dictionary”, the three-volume “Dictionary of the Macedonian Language”, “History of the Macedonian People” and “Geography of Macedonia”.

The fifth edition of the Film Festival of South-East European Cinema, SEE

a Paris, was held in Paris on 12–16 April organized by the SEE a Paris Association

and the University of Audiovisual Arts from Skopje under UNESCO’s patronage. The festival took place at several locations in Paris. It opened at Le Palace Theatre with the show “14 Hours” of the Macedonian Ballet. Some of the latest films made in Southeast Europe were screened at the festival. The festival events also included the musical performance of Kumanovski Tamburaši and Nino Veličkovski.

The opening of the festival was attended by Macedonian Culture Minister Elizabeta Kančeska-Milevska, French Ambassador to Macedonia Laurence Auer, Macedonian Ambassador to France Agron Buxhaku, the President of the Festival of South-East European Cinema, Jordan Plevneš, diplomats, senior UNESCO representatives and representatives of the Institut de France in Paris.

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MACEDONIAN CUltUrE PrOMOtED IN PArIS

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Katlanovsko Blato is located in close proximity to the village of Katlanovo, or more specifically at the Taor Gorge, where

the Pčinja empties into the Vardar. Katlanovo is a suburb with approximately 800 residents. It is best known for the Katlanovo Spa with its thermal water. The thermal water spring has been known since the Age of Antiquity and was used by the Romans. At the archeological locality Roman Bath, stone basins for bathing, pottery and decorative objects have been uncovered. More recently, a necropolis from the Iron Age, i.e. from the 7th century BC, was also unearthed.

“Katlanovo is the pot from which the sun rises. If there is a cure for me, it is there, between the sun and water,” said famous emperor Iustinianus Primus (484–565), who was born in the village of Taor. He built a fort in Taor and his mother in Badar, places that have borne the same names to this very day.

The Katlanovo Spa is a genuine tourist attraction. Separated from the village of Gradmanci by a bridge, it abounds in authentic flora and fauna, including the Katlanovsko Blato wetlands with the lovely landscape, pathways, authentic architecture, churches, fountains and folklore.

Katlanovo got its name from the Turks who called the area Kaplan, meaning a tiger. However, the local Christians pronounced the word Katlan from which Katlanovo later derived. The Katlanovo area covers 5,542 hectares. Underground there is a

fault of neotectonic origin from which thermal water springs. It was during Roman times that the first small, open basins were built. In 1965 under the Act on Protection of Natural Attractions, Katlanovsko Blato was declared a protected area. This specific botanic, ichthyological and ornithological reserve is mentioned in historical documents also as a strategically important location for it represented a barrier to crossing to the Taor Gorge. In the decrees (gramoti) issued on the occasion of the reconstruction of the Monastery of St. Gjorgi-Gorga, on the bank of the Serava, it is said: “Katlanovsko Blato together with its fish and game is given as a present to the church of St. Gjorgija.” The decree also states that, “whoever enters the hunting ground without the approval of the abbot shall be damned by God and shall pay eight perpers to the state budget.”

Evidently the regulations of how Katlanovo Blato was to be used—solely upon received consent from the church authorities—were passed as early as the 11th century. The vast amounts of fish at Katlanovsko Blato which the locals fished and kept salted in their cellars made it possible for them to easily survive the winters. Before the drainage began, Katlanovsko Blato was also a stopover for migratory birds on their way to North Africa before the onset of winter and back to Northern Europe at the beginning of spring.

Until recently, at Aracinovsko Blato and Katlanovsko Blato during winter there could be seen flocks of over 2,000 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), 1,500 common cranes (Grus grus), grey herons (Ardea cinerea), purple herons (Агdeа purpurea), greylag geese (Anser anser), western marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus)—birds of prey and the worst enemies to all types of wetland birds, and white storks (Ciconia ciconia).

It has been established that in the past the Skopje Valley was home to over 240 species of birds, 160 of which were species that build nests, and over 60 of which built their nests in the Katlanovo swamp. However, the connection that existed between the river Vardar and the swamp had been cut off, which made it impossible for the common carp (Cyprinus caprio) of the Vardar to spawn in the waters of the protected locality.


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