Russian and Macedonian Foreign Ministers to Hold Negotiations

Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov will hold negotiations with his Macedonian counterpart Ilinka Mitreva who arrived in Moscow on a working visit on January 13.

Official representative of the Russian foreign ministry Alexander Yakovenko told RIA Novosti that "Russia firmly comes out for Macedonia to be a single unitary state without any interethnic division lines." The Russian diplomat believes that the Macedonian side considers it a priority "to confirm the principles of inviolability of frontiers, ensure their security, and strengthen the multiethnic nature of Balkan states." Moscow renders "permanent support to the Macedonian leaders who are consistently upholding sovereignty and integrity of their state," Yakovenko pointed out.

The Russian diplomat stressed that "the model of settlement of interethnic relations in Macedonia has been formed on the basis of the constitutional amendments and laws stipulated by the framework (Ohrid) agreement and adopted by the country's parliament." This model "is called upon to ensure genuine ethnic equality and the democratic development of the Macedonian society as a single whole," Yakovenko concluded.

In compliance with the Moscow visit program the Macedonian foreign minister will hold negotiations in the Russian defense ministry on January 15.

The visit will end in the second half of the day, January 15.