State dinner in honor of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier

29 November 2022 | Press Releases

On the occasion of the official visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank Walter Steinmeier, a state dinner was organized, to which representatives from the government, MPs, representatives from political parties, as well as businessmen from the business sector engaged in economic cooperation with Germany, were invited. At the same time, the dinner was attended by representatives from civil society and individuals who have contributed to the building of Macedonian-German educational and cultural ties in the past years.

As part of the formal dinner, the two presidents had protocol addresses honoring the Macedonian-German friendship, cooperation and the common European future.

Below is the toast of President Pendarovski:

Your Excellency, dear friend,
respected guests

It is a particular pleasure for me to host your first official visit to the Republic of North Macedonia as President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

My first bilateral visit, after assuming office in 2019, was exactly to the Federal Republic of Germany, and since that first meeting with you in Berlin, for the past three and a half years, we have been continuously communicating intensively, which is of particular importance for my country and for me personally.

The Federal Republic of Germany is one of the most important partners and our intensive cooperation in many areas in the past decades is the best proof of the solid relations and friendship between our two countries and peoples. Next year we will mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, which is a significant anniversary for my country and a basis for further development of our relations.

Dear friend,

We live in turbulent times in Europe and in the world. Unfortunately, when we thought that wars in Europe are past, this year we faced a brutal aggression against a sovereign European state. The attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation is an attack on the fundamental values of Europe that we established after the end of the World War II.

These developments are the best confirmation and a significant reminder of the importance of the European unity and the role of the European Union as a unique peace project in recent world history. Also, they are a warning that the process of European integration will be completed as the best guarantee that peace, democracy, human rights and freedoms, economic prosperity and solidarity will be the foundation of a United Europe.

This year, my country started a new chapter on the path to Europe. In that context, I thank you for the strong and consistent support from you personally and from the federal Republic of Germany. You and the German state are one of the strongest promoters and advocates for the European integration of North Macedonia and our region. It is a long and complex process in which, as before, we expect your support. I want to assure you that we are fully aware and committed to fulfill the undertaken obligations and be a reliable partner in this process till the end.

Mr. President, distinguished guests,

Today, in the talks, we confirmed the commitment to the development of our overall relations, both on political and economic level. Germany is our biggest economic partner and one of the most important investors in our country.

We achieve intensive cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture. We use the German model of dual education in the reform of our secondary vocational education, and a large number of students and teaching staff from our universities participate in academic exchange programs between our countries. The study of the German language is more and more popular in our country, and our strategic priority is promotion of Macedonian language at the departments of Slavic studies at German universities.

We have achieved a lot in the development of bilateral relations in the past three decades. We need to respect the achieved results, but also have ambitions for even greater cooperation, soon, within the European Union.

Mr. President, distinguished guests,

Allow me to invite you to toast in honor of the Macedonian-German friendship, cooperation and common European future!

Cheers!

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