President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova received today the Letters of Credence of the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria, Jeliasko Radoukov.
At the ceremony of handing over the Letters of Credence, President Siljanovska Davkova wished Ambassador Radukov a warm welcome and a successful performance of his important diplomatic mission in view of promoting relations and cooperation in a positive direction that will contribute to the rapprochement of the two countries and citizens.
President Siljanovska Davkova stressed that the relations between the two countries are unfortunately not at the desired level and are not suitable for countries that are immediate neighbors and allies in NATO, one of which is a member of the European Union, and the other is a candidate for membership with a strong commitment to the EU integration.
“A change in approach through developing relations and making a positive difference is necessary. In that sense, I, as the President of all citizens of this country, express my expectation and hope that you, distinguished Ambassador, will work on developing cooperation in areas of mutual interest, with a focus on the challenges of the present and the future”, President Siljanovska Davkova said, encouraging Ambassador Radoukov to work directly with both institutional and other stakeholders in Macedonian society: the civil and business sector, cultural, scientific and educational institutions, the media.
“We appreciate the extremely important and complex process of dialogue that presupposes rapprochement, building and nurturing friendship, through mutual respect of two neighboring European states, and in this sense, I believe that respect for dignity, commitments to European integration and good neighborly relations are completely complementary and mutual interests of the two countries”, President Siljanovska Davkova said.
Ambassador Radoukov, at the ceremony of handing over the Letters of Credence, assessed that his mission begins in particularly extraordinary circumstances, pointing out that the devastating effects of the war in Ukraine, the crisis in the Middle East, the consequences of the pandemic, the political and social polarization of the global community have put us all at risk.
The best response, as proven over the years, is unification against every single security threat. Thus far, we have all proved that the value of standing firm and together in the face of aggression and hardship is what is valuable. Due to the daily turbulences in our bilateral relations, we seem to forget that our two countries are allies in the most powerful political and military alliance. This common membership has brought us innumerable benefits. However, we have not received it for free. Our countries have paid and will continue to pay the necessary price to be allies with all our partners, but also with each other”, Ambassador Radoukov said, who pointed to Corridor 8 as a project that is important not only for the security of both countries, but also of the Alliance.
“As such, it is far beyond any other aspect of our bilateral relations and its importance must not be understated from a civilian, security or military perspective”, Ambassador Radoukov said.
