Ivanov inaugurated as president of Macedonia
13/05/2009
Macedonia's new president pledges to focus on Euro-Atlantic Integration, good relations with all neighbours and investment in state institutions and capacities.
By Zoran Nikolovski and Goran Trajkov for Southeast European Times in Skopje – 13/05/09
 Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov was sworn in on Tuesday (May 12th). [Tomislav Georgiev] |
After signing an oath in parliament, Gjorge Ivanov was inaugurated as Macedonia's fourth president Tuesday (May 12th) in Skopje.
The presidents of Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia were special guests at the ceremony and Ivanov met with each separately afterwards.
Also present were Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his cabinet, diplomats assigned to Macedonia, representatives of state institutions, religious communities and all political parties with the exception of the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, reportedly because Kosovo's president had not been invited.
In his inaugural speech, Ivanov pledged to "encourage and support all political leaders … and all citizens".
The new president said his political goal was to help steer Macedonia towards NATO and EU membership. "Macedonia continues on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration by leading a responsible foreign and domestic policy," he said.
Another priority, Ivanov added, will be to improve Macedonia's relations with neighbouring Greece. The two have been locked in a bitter name dispute for years.
"Undoubtedly we share the same European values … and understand the Balkans as the cradle of European culture," he said.
Foreign respect, he added, is best earned at home. "We can achieve neither a European future nor regional cooperation if we do not invest in the capacity, institutions and potentials of our country," he said.
Ivanov will spend his first full day in office in Brussels, meeting with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu is set to become the first head of state to visit Ivanov in Macedonia. His trip is scheduled for later this month.
Ivanov, 49, was born in the Macedonian town of Valandovo. Before becoming president, he was a political science professor at Sts. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
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