Macedonia tourism & culture news

Energy Emergency ends, Skopje lit up again

2012-03-05T09:06:00.001+01:00

The energy crisis state commission concluded Tuesday there is no need to extend the energy crisis states beyond February 29, whereas EVN Macedonia should launch a procedure of restoring public lighting back to normal, said commission chair and Macedonian Power Plants (ELEM) director Vlatko Cingoski at Tuesday's press conference.

He said that 6,000MWh of electricity were saved in public lighting and illuminating ads since the introduction of the measure a couple of weeks ago.

"Macedonia's energy system has been stable over the past fortnight, energy transit was normal, no restrictions were introduced for consumers", said Cingoski, adding the commission's recommendations would be forwarded to the Government.

However, he added, citizens should continue to use electricity in a rational way, especially with regards to heating.

Strumica Carnival 2012 is in Full Swing

2012-03-05T09:05:00.002+01:00

This year's Strumica Carnival kicked off late on Saturday with a 3,000-strong masquerade.

During a three-hour carnival program, masked participants paraded the town streets and the square, in the attendance of representatives of the International Carnival Cities Association and the diplomatic corps in Macedonia.

Over 30,000 guests witnessed the unforgettable image of colors, sounds and creations, followed by all-night parties in Strumica clubs.

Federation European of Carnival Cities (FECC) President Henk Ferdinand Van Der Kroon presented carnival groups "Starry City" and "Moulin Rouge" with medals honoring their long-standing participation at the Strumica Carnival.

The awards to the best masks will be presented on Tuesday.

Skiing: Slovenian Brajovic wins Shar Mountain Cup

2012-03-05T09:04:00.000+01:00

Slovenian skier Gregor Brajovic is the winner of the 39. Sarplaninski Cup, held at Popova Sapka winter resort over the weekend.
Brajovic posted the best overall time in the slalom and giant slalom races, followed by Igor Laikert from Bosnia&Herzegovina and Dardan Dehari from Macedonia.
Brajovic was rewarded with EUR 3,000 for the win and the Cup trademark - a 'sarplaninec' dog."
My father will keep the puppy first, but I will take it to my new house once I finish it. With regards to the races, I am very satisfied from both wins", said Brajovic upon receiving the Cup.
The Sarplaninski Cup is held under the Government's auspices, whereas Slovenian ski legend Bojan Krizaj is the competition director.

Macedonian wine, cheese recommended to Swedish TV viewers

2012-03-01T09:30:00.000+01:00

In the framework of the national Eurovision song contest, Swedish daily "Metro" has published an interview with members of popular orchestra Andra Generationen (Second Generation).
Second Generation is an orchestra comprised of Swedish musicians of Macedonian descent, widely popular in the country in recent years. They took part at 2010 national Eurovision song contest "Melodifestivalen".
In the interview, Second Generation members recommend Macedonian specialties for a better mood while following "Melodifestivalen".
"Galicnik cheese from Macedonia's Mavrovo region, tavce-gravce, ajvar, baked paprika in oil, rakija from Macedonian grapes we call 'the yellow devil', as well as wines 'Alexandria', 'T'ga za jug'", recommend Second Generation members.

Snow hinders traffic in Macedonia, flights at Skopje airport realised without delay

2012-02-15T08:52:00.001+01:00

Dojran lake

Traffic on the road network across Macedonia is severely hindered and difficult as a result of snowfalls.
Motorways are wet and slippery with snowdrifts. Low temperatures have caused frost to appear on mountains, ravines and bridges.
Heavy vehicles are barred on Krak Mavrovo - Debar and Debar - Struga and Struga - Kafasan as well as on mountain slopes Straza, Preseka, Bukovo and Gjavato.
The Auto-Moto Association of Macedonia says that light avalanches have occurred on mountain slopes Mavrovo, Straza and Gjavato due to intensive snowfalls and strong winds.
Drivers are reminded to adjust their speed and driving actions to the conditions especially on higher places and lanes where landslide is possible.
The intensity of the traffic is moderate outside the urban areas, and the same condition is taking place on the border crossings where there aren't any longer delays needed for accomplishing all the customs formalities.
Alexander the Great airport in Skopje is opened and functional. All morning take-offs and landings took place without delays.
Flights will be realised as scheduled throughout the day, because the runway is being cleaned round the clock.
St. Paul the Apostle airport in Ohrid is opened, even though there are no scheduled flights till Sunday afternoon.

Macedonia Continues to be pummelled by Snow

2012-02-15T08:38:00.000+01:00

Traffic on the road network across Macedonia is severely hindered and difficult as a result of snowfalls.Motorways are wet and slippery with snowdrifts. Low temperatures have caused frost to appear on mountains, ravines and bridges.
Heavy vehicles are barred on Krak Mavrovo - Debar and Debar - Struga and Struga - Kafasan as well as on mountain slopes Straza, Preseka, Bukovo and Gjavato.
The Auto-Moto Association of Macedonia says that light avalanches have occurred on mountain slopes Mavrovo, Straza and Gavata due to intensive snowfalls and strong winds.
Drivers are reminded to adjust their speed and driving actions to the conditions especially on higher places and lanes where landslide is possible.
The intensity of the traffic is moderate outside the urban areas, and the same condition is taking place on the border crossings where there aren't any longer delays needed for accomplishing all the customs formalities.
Alexander the Great airport in Skopje is opened and functional. All morning take-offs and landings took place without delays.
Flights will be realised as scheduled throughout the day, because the runway is being cleaned round the clock.
St. Paul the Apostle airport in Ohrid is opened, even though there are no scheduled flights till Sunday afternoon.

Concert within festival "Valentine for Trifun"

2012-02-15T08:34:00.000+01:00

Concert within festival "Valentine for Trifun", dedicated to the observance of Catholic St.Valentine and Orthodox St. Trifun, will be held at Skopje square "Macedonia" on Tuesday evening.
New and old bands will perform at the concert, organized by NGO "Youth for Europe".
Moreover, renowned Serbian ensemble "Kal" will play a mix of rock 'n roll, ska, funk with traditional Roma instruments violin and accordion.
"Valentin for Trifun" is held for the second year running.

Macedonia's Weather Forecast: Snow, Snow, Snow...

2012-02-10T08:50:00.001+01:00

Intensive snowfalls throughout the country have slowed down road, railway and airline traffic.
The Auto-Motto Union of Macedonia said flow of traffic on the road network is slow due to snowfalls. Heavy vehicles are banned at road sections Mavrovo-Debar, Debar-Struga and Tetovo-Popova Sapka, as well as Straza mountain slope.
Trains from Skopje-based Railway Station depart and arrive with delays. The Skopje bus station has also reported delays in inter-city traffic.
There are no takeoffs or landings scheduled at Skopje airport "Alexander the Great" for the rest of the day. Planes have been re-directed to Sofia and Istanbul, whereas scheduled takeoffs to Vienna and Istanbul are cancelled.Snowfalls will intensify in the course of the evening, accompanied by northeast winds.

EBRD supports modernisation of Macedonian branded food producer

2012-02-10T08:47:00.004+01:00

The EBRD is continuing to support the development of the private sector in the Western Balkans with a €2.5 million loan to one of the leading branded food producers in Macedonia – Vitaminka, the EBRD's Resident Office in Skopje said on Wednesday.
Vitaminka is one of the largest agribusiness companies in Macedonia, producing a wide array of branded food products under its own name as well as for other private labels - chocolate confectionary, crisp snacks, powdered products and additives, ketchup, mayonnaise and soft cookies. The company exports over 40 per cent of its products, primarily to Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia.
The proceeds of the EBRD loan will be used to finance the purchase of production and packaging equipment as well as for the implementation of modern energy efficiency measures at Vitaminka.
The project will enable Vitaminka to minimise operating costs and strengthen its competitiveness, as well as increase the production capacity for some of its most popular products.
"We are pleased to continue our cooperation with Vitaminka and to support the company’s development strategy and further growth. The new loan will help Vitaminka to increase the production volume of powdered drinks and crisp snacks, in order to meet the growing demand for these products and to improve its energy efficiency" said Elena Urumovska, Head of EBRD Skopje Resident Office.
"The EBRD financing will support our company’s development strategy for the coming years. Vitaminka’s objectives include expanding and modernising production capacities and product assortment, as well as raising energy efficiency standards in our company, improving productivity and working conditions in some of our production plants," said Simon Naumoski, President of the Management Board of Vitaminka.
In 2007 the EBRD provided a €4 million loan to Vitaminka to finance its investment programme that included procurement of the new production line for soft cookies and packaging equipment.
To date the EBRD has invested close to €950 million in the Macedonian economy through projects in the corporate, financial, infrastructure and energy sectors. The EBRD funds have attracted additional investments worth €1 billion from other sources.In the agribusiness sector alone, the EBRD has directly committed more than €7 billion in over 450 projects across central and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States since 1991.

Mak Government Keeps Name of Major Investor Secret

2012-02-10T08:46:00.003+01:00

A Car Factory will be built in the region between Veles and Kavadarci, which will employ 4,000 people.
This was announced today by PM Gruevski during his visit to the University for Mechanical Engineering in Skopje.
- They have yet to chose their location, however have already made a decision to invest and registered their company in Macedonia. According to their analysis, they will employ 4,000 people in the next two years. I don't believe we have a private or state firm that employs 4,000 people, said PM Gruevski.
According to the PM, the company will hire 300-400 people by the end of the year, while the rest will come in the next year.
- Where exactly they will build is solely their decision. As of this time we can't make the name of this company public, except that they are a major German company in the Auto sector.

Mak Government Keeps Name of Major Investor Secret

2012-02-06T22:01:00.000+01:00

A Car Factory will be built in the region between Veles and Kavadarci, which will employ 4,000 people.
This was announced today by PM Gruevski during his visit to the University for Mechanical Engineering in Skopje.
- They have yet to chose their location, however have already made a decision to invest and registered their company in Macedonia. According to their analysis, they will employ 4,000 people in the next two years. I don't believe we have a private or state firm that employs 4,000 people, said PM Gruevski.
According to the PM, the company will hire 300-400 people by the end of the year, while the rest will come in the next year.- Where exactly they will build is solely their decision. As of this time we can't make the name of this company public, except that they are a major German company in the Auto sector.

British Business Group Opens New Office in Skopje

2012-02-06T21:52:00.000+01:00

The British Business Group (BBG), whose main objective is to facilitate trade links between businessmen from the United Kingdom and Macedonia, has opened Wednesday a new office in Skopje. The Prince Michael of Kent was also in attendance at the event.
"Up until now, it was difficult for us to make contacts and to be reached, but as of now we get new premises where Macedonian entrepreneurs can come and collect information on establishing business contacts in the UK as well as British businessmen who are interested to launch a business in Macedonia," the BBG's Chairman, Ray Power stated.
He said he was satisfied with the visit of the top business delegation, led by Prince Michael of Kent, which has been visiting Macedonia upon an invitation by the BBG in the past few days.
"The goal was the British delegation to learn about the investment opportunities in Macedonia and to establish business contacts with Macedonian businessmen. Time is needed a final decision to be reached when it comes to investments. However, it is necessary to underline that significant efforts were made last year in analysing the economic situation for this business visit. I hope that concrete results from this visit will be evident before the summer," Ray Power said.
The British Business Group has been functioning for six years in Macedonia mainly on voluntary basis. As of this year, BBG members will start paying membership fees. The office will cover Macedonia and similar offices will be opened in other countries in the region if it makes successful projects. Several activities will be conducted this year aimed at attracting fresh British investments in Macedonia and organising a visit to London for Macedonian businessmen.

Heavy snowfall slows down traffic acros Macedonia

2012-02-06T21:48:00.001+01:00

Snowfalls throughout Macedonia have slowed down traffic. There are no significant delays in road, railway and airline traffic, but heavy vehicles are banned at several road sections.
The Auto-Motto Union of Macedonia said flow of traffic on the road network is slow due to snowfalls.
Heavy vehicles are banned at road sections Mavrovo - Debar, Struga - Kjafasan, Struga - Debar, Makedonski Brod - Prilep, as well as Straza, Bukovo, Gjavato, Pletvar and Preseka mountian slopes. Winter equipment is obligatory for all vehicles at Kriva Palanka - Deve Bair road.
Drivers are reminded to adjust their speed to the winter conditions, especially at road sections Katlanovo-Veles and Debar-Struga where landslides are possible. Intensity of traffic is moderate outside urban areas. No longer delays are reported at border crossings for country entry and exit.
Despite snowfalls, there are no delays in the airline traffic at Skopje airport "Alexander the Great", whereas trains from Skopje-based Railway Station depart with slight delays. Moreover, the Skopje bus station has reported delays not exceeding 15 minutes.
The Hydrometeorological Administration has said snowfalls will be intensive, especially in the country's western and southern regions, accompanied by southeast winds.
Temperatures will range between -9C and 0C.
Similar weather in Skopje with temperatures up to -3C.

Macedonia to Build First Wind Farm

2012-02-02T08:48:00.002+01:00

Macedonian power utility ELEM said on Tuesday it had signed a deal with a consortium of Greek builder Terna and German engineering firm Siemens to build the Balkan country's first wind farm.
The deal includes procurement and installation of wind turbines and construction of accompanying infrastructure, such as power stations and power lines to connect the future farm to the grid, ELEM said in a statement.
The total value of the deal for the 37 MW wind plant amounts to 55 million euros ($72.13 million), of which 33 million would be provided by Germany's state-owned KfW Bank and the remainder by ELEM, it added.
ELEM operates 1,329 MW of power-generating capacity, of which 60 percent is coal-fired and 40 percent hydro power. The new wind farm would add 100 GWh of electricity generation per year.
In 2011 the utility produced 6,043 GWh of electricity, nearly 7 percent down from a year earlier due to a prolonged drought in the Balkans that has pushed water levels to record lows.

Berovo - Strumica road closed

2012-01-30T09:02:00.002+01:00

Berovo - Strumica road Friday is fully closed for traffic for all motor vehicles due to strong winds creating snow drift up to 2 to 3 meters high. Teams of public enterprise "Makedonija Pat" are cleaning the road, Auto-Moto Association of Macedonia (AMSM) informs.
Smrdliva voda-Gevgelija road is passable and the rest of the road to Kozuf ski centre is still being cleaned.
The flow of the traffic on the road network is slow for all types of motor vehicles on wet roads.
Drivers are reminded to adjust their speed and driving actions to the conditions especially on higher places and lanes where landslide is possible.
The intensity of the traffic is moderate outside the urban areas, and the same condition is taking place on the border crossings where there aren't any longer delays needed for accomplishing all the customs formalities.
Winter equipment in vehicles is mandatory until Mar. 15, 2012.
Sunny with moderate cloudiness with low northwest winds across the entire country. The morning temperatures will range from -13C to -1C and daily from -5C to 4C.Similar weather in Skopje with temperatures up to 1C.

Largest Belgian bus manufacturer to invest in Macedonia

2012-01-30T09:00:00.001+01:00

Belgium's largest bus manufacturer Van Hool will invest in Macedonia, Daim Iljazi, advisor at the Macedonian Embassy in Belgium, told MIA.Van Hool's decision to build a bus factory near Skopje comes as a result of the year-long embassy activities for attraction of foreign investments.
The embassy has confirmed that the company will start to build the factory in 2-3 months, with an annual capacity of 300 buses intended for the United States market.Van Hool was established in 1947, currently employing about 4,500 people worldwide.

Macedonian investment team presents before Turkish businessmen

2012-01-30T08:58:00.003+01:00

Istanbul, Kayseri, Konya, Gaziantep Izmir and Bursa are the cities on the agenda of the Government's team, where Macedonia will be presented January 29-February 3 as an attractive investment destination.
The Turkey road show begins in Istanbul, where the team, led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, is set to hold a working dinner with investors, including the attendance of 60 company CEOs.
According to PM Gruevski, this is the longest presentation before foreign investors, which demonstrates there is great potential, but also interest for Turkish investments in Macedonia.
Turkey has been one of Macedonia's most significant partners, both in the political support with regards to Macedonia's NATO and EU integration process and all international institutions, but also in the economic field.
There has been a trend of cooperation increase and improvement of trading relations, as well as volume of investments.
Turkey has been identified as one of the target states, where investments can be expected in the production of automotive components, ICT, agriculture and food processing, business services and outsourcing, pharmaceutical industry and medical devices, energy and renewable energy sources, tourism, building and infrastructure.
In the course of the visit, the Directorate for Technological-Industrial Developments Zones (DTIDZ) and Turkeys Directorate of Organized Industrial Zones will sign a cooperation protocol.
Gruevski will also meet Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with Macedonian emigrants in Bursa.
PM Gruevski is accompanied by Vice Premiers Zoran Stavreski and Vladimir Pesevski, Economy Minister Valon Saraqini, Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Ljupco Dimovski, Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Abdilaqim Ademi, Ministers for Foreign Investments Vele Samak and Bill Pavleski, Minister without Portfolio Hadi Nezir, as well as DTIDZ director Viktor Mizo and Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion head Visar Fida.

Snowfalls Limit movement of Traffic in Macedonia

2012-01-28T13:23:00.001+01:00

Snowfalls throughout the country have slowed down road traffic, but there are no major problems in the inter-city, railway and airline traffic.
Flow of traffic on the road network is slow, on snowy and wet roads.
Heavy vehicles are banned at road sections Jazince village-border crossing Jazince and Berovo-Strumica.
Gevgelija-Smrdliva Voda road section is passable and the rest of the road to Kozuf ski centre is still being cleaned.
The Auto-Moto Association of Macedonia recommends caution while driving due to slippery and icy roads, especially at road sections Mavrovo-Debar-Struga, Katlanovo-Veles, and Demir Kapija-Udovo, where landslides are possible.
Skopje bus station said traffic is normal, without any major delays in departures and arrivals. The situation is similar at the Skopje-based railway station and airport "Alexander the Great".
According to the Hydrometeorological Administration, weather will be moderately cloudy and cold with occasional snowfalls and north winds across the entire country.
Morning temperatures will range from -6C to 0C and daily from -5C to 1C.Similar weather in Skopje with temperatures up to -1C.

NATO to pay $11.1M for Bridge upgrades in Macedonia

2012-01-25T13:42:00.000+01:00

Bridges and roads across Macedonia will be reconstructed in the upcoming period under a NATO donation of EUR 8,6 million ($11.1m), Minister of Transport and Communications said after a session of the Government's Economic Council.
The Council is meeting once a week to address the economy related developments and set measures for bolstering Macedonia's growth.
Today, Janakievski said, the session reviewed the last year's conclusions and their realization, as well as the macroeconomic indicators.Commenting the European Commission analysis, which puts Macedonia as the second best among EU candidate and aspirant states regarding the 2011 GDP growth, Janakieski said it was a confirmation of the country's sound economic policies and an impetus for the relevant ministers to keep on with their activities in order to boost the economic growth.

Macedonia's GDP growth is one of the results of this Economic Council, Janakieski said, pointing out that the body will keep applying concrete measures to preserve this and reach the growth, projected by the Government for 2012.

Czech Airlines suspending Prague-Skopje flights

2012-01-25T13:38:00.004+01:00

The Czech airline CSA will suspend its direct flights between Skopje and Prague and vice versa by the end of the 2011/2012 winter season i.e. on March 24, MIA reported from the Czech capital.
"Prague-Skopje direct flights are unfortunately not profitable. Moreover, the direct flights are not incorporated into the main model used by Czech Airlines, its spokesperson Hana Hejskova told local media.
The Skopje-Prague-Skopje direct flight was introduced on 17 May 2005. Prague was promoted as one of the most popular European destinations connecting passengers with several cities worldwide.
The Czech national airline ended 2011 with a decrease in the number of passengers by 7.5%, which is a result of company's efforts to cut down air-crafts and flights as a way to tackle the current crisis.

Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra in Oman tour

2012-01-25T13:38:00.000+01:00

The Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra tours in Oman on January 23-26. A concert in the spectacular Royal Opera House, which opened last year, will be held in capital Muscat on Wednesday.
"The inaugural season of the new opera house also includes the tours of the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as renowned soloists Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Yo-Yo Ma etc", said the Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Orchestra will perform pieces by famous Egyptian composer and instrumentalist Ammar El-Sherei, under the baton of Egyptian conductor Hisham Gabr and oud soloist Salim Al-Maqrashi.
Moreover, the program also includes "Teskoto" by Gligor Smokvarski, a piece which reflects the Macedonian folklore idiom in music for a symphonic orchestra.

Macedonian Business Association of Canada formed

2012-01-23T09:07:00.001+01:00

Macedonian businessmen in Canada in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Macedonia to Canada have formed Macedonian Business Association of Canada, one of its kind in Canada integrating small and medium-sized companies from different businesses.
The association although formed by Macedonian businessmen is open for other interested entities in this country.
The main goal of this association will be promotion of common business interests among the members, mutual relations, connection with Canadian companies, exchange of experiences etc. In the future the association is foreseen to be connected with similar Macedonian and Canadian association aimed at creating opportunities for new mutual business relations, reads the press release from the association.
The members of the foundation board of the Macedonian Business Association of Canada are Vasko Pastenarov, Antoni Bozinovski, Vesna Anastasova, Zoran Ivanovski, Vase Georgievska, Vlatko Cokov and Filip Spasov. The association has recently launched its website http://www.m-bac.com/register.asp.

"His Arias" - Tose Proeski memorial concert in MOB

2012-01-23T09:05:00.004+01:00

The 4. memorial concert honoring Tose Proeski's birthday (January 25) will be held in the Macedonian Opera and Ballet (MOB) on Saturday evening. The concert will differ from the previous three, since Tose's songs will be suited for the opera.
The concert is titled "His Arias", under the baton of Sasa Nikolovski-Gjumar, including the performances by opera soloists from Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria, accompanied by choir "Pro Ars", the MOB Orchestra and Tose's band.
"This is something different, but against suiting Tose, since opera was his great love. Tose had many fans, some of them opera lovers, so this event is an excellent opportunity for them", said Andrej Nikolovski, president of Tose Proeski Foundation, at Friday's press conference.
Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska stressed the concert would unveil another segment of Tose's artistic work, his first love - classical music."The concert includes his songs in new arrangements, adaptations, as well as his interpretations of famous arias, through which we will again be reminded on the power of his vocals and charisma. I believe the concert will be a true enjoyment for all fans and lovers of Tose's music, but also an emotional event", added Kanceska-Milevska.
The first memorial concert was held at Skopje's City Stadium on 5 October 2008, the day when Tose held his final concert a year earlier. The next two were held on his birthday in sports center "Boris Trajkovski".
Tose Proeski was killed in a car crash near Nova Gradiska, Croatia, on 16 October 2007.

Macedonia signs 90m euros Power Plant deal with Bilfinger Berger

2012-01-23T08:54:00.005+01:00

Bilfinger Berger is expanding its presence in the promising markets of Southeastern Europe with a major order in power plant service: the Group will modernize all three boilers in the lignite-burning power plant “TPP Bitola” which is part of JSC Macedonian Power Plants, the largest electricity generation company in Macedonia.
The order has a volume of about €90 million and additionally covers the long-term repair and maintenance of the facility. “TPP Bitola” is the most important power plant in the country and provides more than three quarters of Macedonia's electricity needs.
With the modernization, Bilfinger Berger is making a decisive contribution to the reduction of emissions at the power plant and to ensuring that it meets modern environmental standards.In the countries of Eastern Europe, great efforts are being undertaken to fulfill established climate protection requirements. In the next five years, up to 30 conventional power plants in Eastern European countries are to be modernized.
Macedonia is the first country to be follow through with its modernization plans.

Orthodox believers celebrate Epiphany

2012-01-20T10:20:00.002+01:00

Orthodox believers Thursday celebrate the great Christian holiday - Epiphany.

The holiday marks two events in Jesus Christ’s life, according to the Christian Bible. The first event was when the three wise men, or kings, visited infant Jesus. The second event was when St. John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

Epiphany liturgy will begin Thursday morning in “St. Dimitrija” church in Skopje. The Head of Macedonian Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia HH Stefan will perform the Great Theophany Blessing of Water, dipping the Holy Cross and blessing the water of the river Vardar after that 127 believers will jump into the river and will try to catch the Holy Cross. It is considered that the one who catches the cross will enjoy happiness, health and welfare all year long.

The traditional ceremony of throwing the Holy Cross will be held throughout Macedonia, with the largest event in Ohrid.

Nova Makedonija daily is the organiser of the event and this year’s godfather is Sasko Staninov.

The traditional ceremony of throwing the Holy Cross is also held throughout Macedonia, with the largest event in Ohrid.

According to the Law on Holidays, Epiphany is non-working for Orthodox believers.

Daniel Doncevski catches the Holy Cross during Epiphany celebration in Skopje
Twenty-two year old Daniel Doncevski from Kratovo caught the Holy Cross that the Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church HH Stefan threw in the waters of river Vardar on occasion of Epiphany in Skopje. He was the luckiest among the 127 believers that jumped into the waters of river Vardar. He caught the cross also in 2007.
It is considered that the one who catches the cross will enjoy happiness, health and welfare all year long.
Doncevski was given laptop from PM Nikola Gruevski, an icon from Centre municipality and golden coin from Skopje City.
The Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church HH Stefan sent traditional Epiphany message. Many believers attended the event as well as PM Nikola Gruevski.
Epiphany liturgy began Thursday morning in “St. Dimitrija” church in Skopje. The Head of Macedonian Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia HH Stefan performed the Great Theophany Blessing of Water, dipping the Holy Cross and blessing the water of the river Vardar.

Trailer for Mak Movie "Third Half Time"

2012-01-20T10:11:00.004+01:00

Macedonian - Dutch Chamber of Commerce Formed

2012-01-20T10:10:00.002+01:00

Nearly 50 Macedonian and about 30 Dutch firms founded Wednesday a common chamber of commerce to work on establishing new and strengthening existing business ties and on boosting investments. The new Dutch-Macedonian chamber of commerce announces promotion of Macedonia's economy in the Netherlands and instruments of the Dutch government to develop the private sector in Macedonia in cooperation with the embassies.
"We'll work together to promote Macedonian products better on the Dutch market, to promote Macedonia's economy in the Netherlands and to provide more investments," the chamber's executive director Bob Smith stated.The Dutch way of running a business, he added, is different than in Macedonia. Being Dutch, we complain of seals, signatures, but this may change in the future. But if you get used to these administrative procedures, working in Macedonia is wonderful. Most of the Dutch citizens that come to Macedonia will stay here to start a business," Smith said.
Dutch Ambassador Marriët Schuurman said that despite the economic crisis there was enormous interest in joint projects and businesses between Macedonian and Dutch companies and in investing in Macedonia. The number of companies interested in cooperation through the common chamber in her opinion confirm the firm relations between countries' economies. "We are convinced that the chamber of commerce will assist Macedonian and Dutch companies to examine the vast potential for cooperation between the two countries in an attempt to heighten ties in trade, investments and economy," Ambassador Schuurman noted.
16.5% of the total investments in Macedonia in 2010 were Dutch and they increased by 40% in the first three quarters of 2011 standing at 110 million euros.
"Investments have been significantly increased. Hopefully, this trend will continue taking into consideration the bilateral favourable political and economic relations. I am convinced that many companies from Macedonia export in the Netherlands and I encourage them despite the crisis to be more innovative and to conquer the Dutch market," Economy Minister Valon Saracini said.
He called Dutch companies to consider Macedonia a friendly country and to invest here having in mind all of the benefits offered by the Macedonian government to foreign investments.
Saracini voiced expectation that both countries would resume their cooperation in tourism. 10,000 Dutch tourists visited Macedonia in 2011.
The new chamber of commerce will also focus on organising business trips and conferences on companies from Macedonia and the Netherlands and on providing information about investment opportunities.

Bitola at -22 C, River Dragor Freezes

2012-01-17T10:23:00.000+01:00

Yesterday night and today, Bitola is under freez warning with the temperature plummeting -22 degrees.
Bitola has turned into a ghost town, with only a few indiduals brave enough to go outside mostly because they need to take care of daily chores. The rest are tucked in their homes.
For the first time, the Dragor river is frozen, all of it.
Several dozen families have no water because of bursting of their plumbing pipes. A great number of car batteries went bad, and drivers have not been able to start their cars.

6 Meters of Snow on Kozuf!

2012-01-17T10:21:00.001+01:00

Most of the inhabitted areas on Kozuf mountain have around 2.5 meters of snow and are inaccessible by normal vehicles.
However, in numerous locations on Kozuf the snowbanks have reached 6 meters!

Vevcani Carnival 2012 in full Swing

2012-01-17T10:19:00.000+01:00

The event unofficially began on January 12 with a concert that will include performances by rock bands from Macedonia and Croatia.The main parade will take place on January 13, where the old new year will be welcomed outdoors in the center of Vevcani. The next day, masks will be set on fire as a ritual.
The Vevcani carnival is supported by the Ministry of Culture and sponsored by Macedonian Telecom.In 1993, the Vevcani carnival, or more precisely, the municipality of Vevcani, joined FECC - the Federation of European Carnival Cities.
The traditional masks of groom, bride and August the Fool will parade in Vevcani on January 13 and 14 at the carnival celebrating the passing of the old year and the coming of the new one according to the old calendar. Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska - Milevska will address the official opening.
The carnival honoring Saint Basil the Great is known for its archaic spirit and unique masks mixing pagan rituals and modern celebrations. The carnival takes place in the village of Vevcani, which is magically transformed into a theatre in its own right, free of borders, where every house and every street is a stage for those behind the masks to perform their roles and play their games as true actors.
It's easy to say, no one mocks politicians, celebrities, countries ... better than the Vevcani carnival.

Vevcani carnival is a pearl of Macedonia's tradition, says Kanceska-Milevska
A group mask created by the inhabitants of Vevcani reflecting Macedonian-Greek relations was the most talked about mask among visitors of this year's Vevcani Carnival.

Other masks included US president Barack Obama, a "Flying to Europe" mask, the hand of VMRO-DPMNE, etc. Scenes from cowboy movies were re-enacted and Tito's Pioneers, Muslim priests, dead people paraded through the village of Vevcani. This year, Macedonian politicians were spared, there were no masks making fun of any local politician.

Opening the carnival, Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska said all well-intentioned visitors with a carnival spirit were part of an unique satire reminding us of events and persons who had marked 2011.

"The Vevcani Carnival offers a game without protocol. It is a valuable pearl in the Macedonian tradition and a brand which makes Macedonia famous in the world. This carnival is being celebrated with a sense of preserving a valuable sample of the Macedonian tradition that amazes with its originality," Milevska said.

She vowed that the Ministry of Culture would keep on supporting the traditional carnival in Vevcani.

At midnight, the old new year (Vasilica) was welcomed at the Vevcani Springs.

The carnival ends on Saturday after all of the masks will be set on fire.

Budget Vacation Guide 2012: Macedonia

2012-01-10T08:27:00.001+01:00

Since the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Macedonia has hidden beneath the radar. While Croatia and Montenegro receive sustained coverage for their coastlines and Slovenia pops up here and there as a budget-friendly alternative to pricey Switzerland, landlocked Macedonia has received short shrift.
The country remains shut out of major Europe-wide organizations over its very name, which the Greek government contests as a stealthy move toward an eventual invasion of the northern Greek region of Macedonia. It's a ludicrous proposition, and it has kept Macedonia far more isolated than it should be.
Macedonia's reputation as a tourist destination has slowly grown over the last few years, and with good reason. The country offers amazingly good value for money. Transportation, accommodation, food, and tourist attractions are all inexpensive. The country's chief draws are Lake Ohrid, which Macedonia shares with Albania, and its scattered monasteries. Lake Ohrid is starkly beautiful, great for swimming and water sports. It's anchored by the city of Ohrid, itself spilling over with churches, fortresses, and other objects of historical interest.
Monasteries abound in Macedonia. One of these, Treskavec, is located near the town of Prilep in the south. There are marked hiking trails winding up hills to the monastery. At the top, you'll find accommodation for the cost of a small donation. A simple dinner is even included in the deal.
If Macedonian tourism taps into its treasures the right way, this country should see its current trickle of tourists become a modest stream.
http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/09/budget-vacation-guide-2012-macedonia/

4 Meters of Snow on Kozuf Mountain

2012-01-09T20:27:00.002+01:00

Kozuf covered with snow.

Heavy snow and cold weather has gripped Macedonia, making roads slippery and causing traffic problems across the country, local media reported.

Motorists traveling through mountain passes and high mountain areas are advised to be very careful.

The roads leading to about ten villages in the Kožuf mountains are not passable. Kožuf has registered an incredible 4m of snow! Snow clearing machinery is operating.

The snow is up to 2m deep in the southern village of Konopiste and other nearby villages. Dozens of vehicles got stranded on the roads in the Kožuf mountains on Saturday.

Due to freezing temperatures and black ice, trucks are banned from traveling on the road between Berovo and Strumica in Eastern Macedonia.

Motorists are advised to drive at a low speed and greater distance and be prepared for winter driving.

The adverse weather conditions left capital Skopje, Bitola and the mountainous regions of Tetovo, Gostivar and Kumanovo without electricity on Christmas day. Technicians have restored power everywhere, though warn if the snow continues, more problems may reappear.

Macedonians celebrate Christmas

2012-01-09T20:23:00.004+01:00

Christmas celebration in a church.

Orthodox faithful in Macedonia are celebrating Christmas today. Christmas liturgies are underway in all churches across the country.

The central event will take place Saturday at Skopje church 'St. Clement of Ohrid', where the Head of Macedonian Orthodox Church (MPC), HH Stefan, will serve Christmas liturgy.

The Christmas celebration in Macedonia begins in the evening of January 5th, which is known as kolede. Children go from door to door singing Christmas carols, heralding the birth of Jesus, and receiving fruits, nuts and candy from the people. Later in the evening, the elderly people from the neighbourhood gather around a bonfire outside, and engage in a conversation about the past year and the year to come.

The following evening is the Christmas Eve, when a traditional oak log (badnik) is brought to the home. This log is cut by the father of the household and his older son, while the table is being set for the Christmas Eve supper (Posna Vechera). The dinner cannot have anything derived from animals, and it cannot be cooked using cooking oil or other types of fat. The traditional dinner usually consists of baked fish. The dinner is the last day of a traditional 40-day Orthodox Lent, which is done in a way to honor the Virgin Mary for carrying baby Jesus.

The oak log is cut into three pieces, representing the Holy Trinity, and each piece is brought into the house by the father. A member of the family receives a piece and places it on the fire. As this is done, the son and the father exchange a greeting: "Good evening and happy Christmas Eve" (Dobra Vecher i Vesel Badnik). While the log is being placed on the fire, the mother and the grandmother gather the children together into the room where the dinner is to be served. Each person carries a bundle of straw from outside, and together with the mother they spread the straw on the floor. The spreading of the straw on the house floor is meant to make the atmosphere more like that when the night Jesus was born. The house is decorated further decorated with oak and pine branches, representing the wish of the family for long and healthy life, "with health strong as oak, and with a life long as that of the oak."

Then the Christmas dinner is served on the same table that the Christmas candle is burning. As part of the dinner, homemade bread (pogacha) with a coin hidden in it (usually placed inside before it was baked) is served. The traditional belief is that whoever gets the coin in his/her piece, will have a particularly successful year to look forward to.

The Christmas candle is then lit, and everyone sings a Christmas hymn. Very early Christmas day, people attend the first morning church service. After the family returns from church, the first guests arrive. This is usually someone who is a dear friend of the family, and is especially honored during the celebration. The guests are met by the hosts, who kiss the guest three times on the cheeks and give him/her the Christmas greeting "Christ is born" (Hristos se rodi), and the guest replies "Indeed he is" (Voistinu Se Rodi).

These greetings are exchanged throughout the three days or Christmas. After the exchange or the greetings, the guest shakes the burning oak log and when the sparks fly up, he/she expresses his/her best wishes for the family. This is usually done in some form of rhyme, mentioning the Special desires of the family.

Macedonians Celebrate Badnik

2012-01-09T20:22:00.001+01:00

Badnik - a pagan tradition still remaining.

Orthodox Christians in Macedonia are celebrating Friday the Christmas Eve (Badnik) - the day prior to great holiday the Birth of Jesus Christ – Christmas.
Badnik is traditionally celebrated before "St. Clement of Ohrid" church in Skopje where this year's Badnik godfather will be given the last year's Badnik Cup.The event starts by hoisting Badnik flag and the Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC), the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia HH Stefan, will address the believers and give the last year’s Badnik Cup to the new godfather.
In Macedonia, celebrations began on 5 January, the evening known as "kolede", in which neighbourhoods gather together to light a bonfire, listen to traditional music and share food and drink.

Badnik table dinner.

This morning children visit their neighbourhood, knock at the doors and sing Kolede songs. The home-owners give the children candies, sweets, fruit and coins.
The family dinner on Badnik is the only holiday when you can find rich and poor gathered on one place. In the evening on Badnik, the closest family is gathering around the Badnik dinner.
The main event at this dinner is the cutting of the Christmas bread on pieces for each member of the family, one for the home and one for Jesus Christ. Inside the Christmas Bread there is a coin. There is a belief that who ever finds the coin in his/her piece of the bread will have luck the whole year. The coin is put in a glass of wine and the lucky person should drink from the wine.
The house is decorated with oak branches with their leaves on, representing the wish of the family for long and healthy life.
More about religion in Macedonia.

Arch "Macedonia" to open first in 2012

2012-01-04T09:07:00.001+01:00

Arch "Macedonia" is the first structure to be promoted by the Ministry of Culture in 2012, reportedly in January.

Motifs from Macedonian history and tradition are included in the facade of the arch, designed by Valentina Stevanovska - the same artist who designed the monument "Warrior on a Horseback" at the Macedonian square.

The arch is part of the Ministry's project of erecting 35 sculptures in Skopje's downtown. The three willows in river Vardar will be unveiled by February, thus encircling the entire project.

The Old Skopje Theatre is expected to open in the second half of the year. Construction operations will develop depending on the winter's severity. There are intensive activities in all stages of the theatre's construction.

The Veles Theatre and the Macedonian Philharmonic concert hall are expected to be opened in 2013.

Macedonia's airports welcome 6.000 passengers during New Year Holidays

2012-01-04T09:05:00.000+01:00

During the New Year weekend Macedonia's airports welcomed 6.101 passengers, or 8 percent more in comparison to the same period last year, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said Tuesday in a press release.

The frequency of passengers reached its peak on the New Year's first day, when Skopje and Ohrid Airports handled 2,268 and 345 passengers respectively.

"Renovated airports in Skopje and Ohrid were opened last year. Skopje's Alexander the Great airport got a new passenger terminal, thus increasing its capacity to serving 4 million passengers per year," the press release reads.

Around €650 million will be spent for energy in 2012

2012-01-04T09:03:00.002+01:00

Macedonia will provide 54% of total needs for energy from home sources and 46% of import in 2012 for which it will spend around €650 million.

Total consumption of energy in 2012 compared to 2011 will be higher by 4%. The electricity will be spent by 2.2%, natural gas by 10.1% and oil derivatives by 4.8%.

According to energy balance, the electricity will be dominant sources of energy with participation of over 40%.

The production of electricity from home sources is foreseen to amount 6.000 GWh and the rest to be purchased from import.

The consumption of oil and oil derivatives in 2012 will rise by 6.6%, i.e. 743.000 tonnes.

Starting from Jan. 1, 2012, electricity price will rise by 6.95%. The heating price in Skopje will also increase.

Top 10 Moments for Macedonia in 2011

2012-01-04T09:00:00.003+01:00

Although Macedonians witnessed many great things in 2011 both home and outside, here are the Top 10 memorable moments for 2011.

10. ICJ Win over Greece

-The ICJ win was expected, therefore it is placed at #10. One doesn't need to be an international scholar to figure out Greece functioned outside the legal norms and international laws. The nice thing of the ICJ win for Macedonia is that it echoed world wide! This certainly explains the undiplomatic language and nervousness displayed by Greek politicians the last few weeks.

9. New Bus Fleet for Skopje

- Perflectly timed, while Skopje is undergoing architectural modernization, the new bus fleet of single and double deck busses was the icing on the cake.

8. New Investments = More Jobs

- Macedonia saw more investments in 2011, than in the last 30 years combined! Numerous foreign companies (US, British, German, Russian, Italian, Turkish...) opened shops in the capital and other cities across the country. Some of the companies are Johnson Controls, Johnson Matthey, Kromberg and Schubert, Kemet Electronics, Prodis etc.

7. New Streets

-The city of Skopje invested millions of Euros to improve the infrastructure in the capital which was famous for its small streets and massive traffic jams. Thanks to the new investments, the streets have at least doubled in width, many are expanded, new boulevards and roads added to the infrastructure. Skopje's road infrastructure had not been previously upgraded for decades.

6. 20th Anniversary

-On September 8th, Macedonia celebrated its 20th anniversary. What a spectacle at a time when Macedonia started their run on the European championship in basketball in Lithuania.

5. Tose Proeski Memorial House #1 Architectural design in the world

-Tose Proeski's memorial building in Krusevo was voted #1 architectural design in the world.

4. New Airports

- Finally, Skopje's old airport became history and was replaced with a state of the art Airport, ten times bigger than the previous. With the new airport, numerous foreign airlines signed up which brought down airfares significantly! Now, Macedonians can enjoy a weekend in Venice for less than 100 euros. Ohrid's airport was also upgraded.

3. Alexander the Great Monument

- The Alexander the Great statue is a spectacular monument placed in downtown Skopje which has become the tourist attraction in the capital city. Today the location of this monument is utilized for Macedonians to celebrate holidays, sport wins etc.

2. European Champs in Karate

-Natasa Ilievska and Dejan Nedev both were crowned European champions in karate for 2011.

1. Macedonian Basketball Team

Went into the European championship hoping they will get to the second round, ended up playing for a medal.

Each game they played their hearts out, provided a true example of how one should play for the national team.

Macedonia's trade exchange with Middle East, Maghreb countries without strategy

2011-12-28T12:22:00.004+01:00

Macedonia's foreign trade exchange with countries in the Middle East and Maghreb is occurring incidentally, without a general strategy. Companies' attempts to bolster it are still hampered by unestablished preferential trade, visa regime, complex and expensive procedure for document verification and the lack of diplomatic and consular offices. Modest bilateral regulation is also seen as a problem, it was concluded at a news conference Monday at the Economic Chamber of Macedonia.
Country's total exchange with Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia and Libya in the period between January and October 2011 stood at 50.7 million US dollars, out of which $15.6 million were accumulated by export and 34.9 million by import. Trade deficit is $19.3 million, while import-export coverage is 44.4%.
Ljubica Nuri of the Economic Chamber said that the Arab Spring did not significantly affect trade exchange, which was boosted with Algeria and Tunisia, but hugely reduced with Libya.
Macedonia in Middle East and Maghreb countries primarily exports agricultural and food products (33.3%) and iron and steel products (39.1%). The import balance includes household products, electronic devices and equipment (26.6%), construction materials (19.8%), petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (12.9%) as well as agricultural and food produces (7.7%)."
Macedonian companies can increase their competitiveness on markets in the Middle East with Halal certification not only of products, but also of services," Nuri stated.Economic Chamber data suggest that this year a foreign-trade surplus has been realised with Iraq, Lebanon, UAE, Bahrain, Yemen and Tunisia, while trade deficit has occurred with Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Israel, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Skopje more expensive than London, Moscow

2011-12-27T13:00:00.003+01:00

Household appliances, clothing, footwear and many other products are cheaper in London, Moscow and Athens than in Skopje! Although hard to believe, since Macedonian standard and purchasing power of citizens is lower, our search for various offers on websites and looking at world-famous brands showed perhaps an expected conclusion - Macedonians pay the highest prices for the same products in comparison with neighbors and citizens of European countries.
For example, television brand "Sony", ready for viewing in 3D, with a 117 cm screen size, Macedonians paid 1,720 euros, while it is 1,666 euros for the Croats and in Serbia cost 1,500 euros. The Bulgarians in Sofia paid 950 euros for the same TV, almost half of what Macedonians pay.
The same television brand in European countries can be found on an average for 1,150 euros.
Another example is for a new model of child car seat ("Kiko" brand) in Macedonia is 178 euros, while the Brits and other European countries pay between 120-150 euros.
Set of kitchen cutlery from three pieces of Italian brand "Guzzini" in Macedonia cost 31 euro, while Guzzini's website sells them for 19.5 euros."Timberland" shoes in Skopje are selling between 7,000 and 11,000 denars ($140-$200), while simple visit to Timberland's website will see the same shoes ranging from $70 to $75 dollars.

Skopje and Zagreb become Sister Cities

2011-12-27T12:56:00.003+01:00

Skopje mayor Koce Trajanovski and Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic signed a Charter of Friendship and Cooperation a few days ago. The goal of the document is to enable the two cities to have mutual goals and results, with a special focus on enhancement of economic and cultural connections.In this way, exchange of experience in the environmental protection, mutual learning about the culture, history and tradition, cooperation between museums and universities, cooperation in education, urban development and state-owned companies will be enabled.
Moreover, the two cities will cooperate within the framework of international organizations whose members they are. Trajanovski said that Zagreb’s experience in the European integration could significantly help Skopje.

Business centre for cross-border initiatives opens in Stip

2011-12-27T12:55:00.001+01:00

Business centre for cross-border initiatives opens in Stip as part of project "Cross-Border Business Networking for Sustainable Growth" financed by IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme between the Republic of Bulgaria and Republic of Macedonia.
The work of the business centre, which operates within Centre for Development of Eastern Planning Region, aims at development and improvement of economy and business cooperation between companies directed to strengthening business climate in cross-border regions between Bulgaria and Macedonia.
Centre offers services in the sphere of informing target groups, mapping economic subjects in cross-border region and informing about local business events, also gives information on changes in legal, financial and customs spheres and connection of legal entities from cross-border region aimed at establishing mutual cooperation.
Head of Centre for Development of Eastern Planning Region, Dragica Zdraveva said that by opening of the business centre and the opportunities it offers will bring development of companies in cross-border region and will attract new investments.
Business centre will operate at the territory of Macedonia’s Eastern Planning Region and Bulgaria’s Blagoevgrad region.

Fairytale festival in "Feniks"

2011-12-22T22:52:00.002+01:00

Publishing house "Feniks" hosts a fairytale festival within its New Year's book fair, held December 20-31 in four Skopje-based bookstores.
Children will have the opportunity to acquaint with the most beautiful international and Macedonian fairy tales in the form of coloring and picture books, as well as attend interactive fairytale readings in culture center "Feniks" near Skopje's Universal Hall.
Creative workshops themed 'fairytale' will be held in several kindergartens, along with fairytale books' promotion.

Macedonia Blanketed by Snow

2011-12-22T22:49:00.004+01:00

Snowboarder near the Stone Bridge in Skopje

Heavy snowfalls was registered across Macedonia today.
Skopje was covered 10 cm snow cover while eastern and southern Macedonia are expecting up to 30cm of snow.
The ski season is officially open!

Electronic equipment, tobacco and clothes spur Macedonian Economy

2011-12-22T22:47:00.000+01:00

In the first two months of the third quarter this year, volume of the total industrial production grew by 3.2 percent year-on-year, which represents growth slowdown, however it still is much better than any country in the Eurozone.
Despite the fact that growth depends significantly on trends in the Eurozone, Macedonian economy can demonstrate great resistance to negative effects of the environment in line with structural changes in economy and expansion of production capacities, which is expected to contribute to additional increase of the Macedonian growth potential.
Production of electronic equipment, tobacco products and clothes has greatly contributed to the economic growth in the past period.

MANU marks Blaze Koneski's 90th birth anniversary

2011-12-21T09:06:00.001+01:00

A formal meeting will be held Monday marking the 90th anniversary from the birth of the first president of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU), the academician Blaze Koneski.
Also Koneski's monument, artwork of Macedonian sculptor Tome Serafimovski, will be unveiled in front of MANU's main entrance.
The monument is made of white marble and is 2.30 meters tall. The 1.50 meters tall pedestal is made of white marble by Beton construction company.

Winter arrives in Macedonian Village

2011-12-19T20:21:00.001+01:00

Number of Air Passengers Increases in Skopje and Ohrid

2011-12-19T20:20:00.001+01:00

In October, the number of passengers on airports in Macedonia increased in comparison with the same period last year.
According to the data published by the Macedonian Ministry of Transport a few days ago, the number of passengers on the Skopje and Ohrid airports reached 57,512, compared to 50,541 passengers last year.
The increase is a result of the increased number of passengers on the Skopje airport, which reported 56,180 passengers, which represents an increase of 17.1 percent. The number of regular flight lines grew as well, by 15.4 percent. In October, there were 689 regular lines compared to 597 lines last year.

Two companies submit bids for construction of hydro plants Cebren and Galiste

2011-12-16T20:43:00.000+01:00

Two companies have submitted bids for the construction of hydro power plants Cebren and Galiste.Economy Minister Valon Saraqini said companies PPC from Greece and CWE from China submitted bids until the expiration of Thursday's deadline.
The tendering commission will complete the bids' evaluation by the month-end and submit it to the Government, which is to pass the final decision on the concessions.
PPC has said in its offer that Macedonian Power Plants (ELEM) is to own 28 percent of shares of the future power plants, whereas CWE has offered 40.5 percent. The share percentage offered to ELEM is the main criterion of the tender.
If the concessionaire is selected, the construction of Cebren and Galiste would begin in 1,5 year, following ELEM's completion of access roads and networking of the new power plants.

Bitola Museum nominated for European award "Luigi Micheletti"

2011-12-16T20:39:00.000+01:00

National institution Bureau and Museum-Bitola, which pays special attention to museum operations in line with European standards, has been nominated for European award "Luigi Michelleti", presented by the European Museum Academy (EMA).
EMA national coordinator Gordan Nikolov and EMA official Andreja Rihter said 21 European museums compete for the award.
Nikolov said the Bitola museum was the only Macedonian nominee, since it meets the EMA criteria."The Bitola Museum is visible everywhere. One can see everything at its website, which is unfortunately not the case with other museums. It includes practical information for every visitor, which is owed to the excellent management of this national institution", added Nikolov.
Museum director Liljana Hristova said another EMA monitoring team would visit Bitola in the course of January, in light of the final decision for the "Luigi Micheletti" award.
The Luigi Micheletti Award, established in 1996, is the European prize for innovative museums in the world of industry, science and technics.

Macedonia's tourism potentials presented in Amsterdam

2011-12-14T08:31:00.000+01:00

Amsterdam

Macedonia's tourism potentials and Macedonian wines were presented Tuesday before Dutch tour-operators in Amsterdam.
The promotion, hosted by Macedonian Ambassador to the Netherlands Nikola Dimitrov, was attended by 30 tour-operators that are already offering Macedonia as a tourism destination, but also ones showing potential interest.
"The Netherlands is one of our main target markets. Until 2010, Karatanova Tours was in charge of the Dutch market, but following the introduction of the subsidy programme, other tour-operators have shown interest, arranging charter-flights to Macedonia, even from Belgium", said Jordan Trajkov, director of the Agency for Support and Promotion of Tourism.
Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov said there is a realistic chance that offer for Dutch tourists increases in 2012.The Amsterdam event was supported by Dutch governmental agency "Holland Gateway".

Number of Foreign Tourists in Macedonia keeps Increasing

2011-12-14T08:28:00.000+01:00

In October 2011, the number of tourists in Macedonia amounted to 49,379 and the number of bed-nights reached 119,198, informed the Macedonian State Statistical Office.
These figures show that the number of tourists increased by 17 percent and the number of bed-nights by 24.1 percent compared to October last year.In the same period, the number of Macedonian tourists dropped by 5.8 percent, while the number of foreign tourists increased by 35.2 percent.
Year-on-year, the number of bed-nights of Macedonian tourists increased by 6.1 percent despite the decrease of the number of tourists, and the number of bed-nights of foreign tourists grew by 41.2 percent. Analyses on what this really means for the state budget will be published in a week.

Macedonia has a Trade Surplus with Belgium

2011-12-12T08:59:00.001+01:00

Belgium is one of rare countries with which Macedonia generates trade surplus.
According to the latest statistical data, the surplus amounted to USD 50 million in 2010 and USD 14 million in the first nine months of this year.
In terms of the total trade with the EU, trade with Belgium accounts for 4 percent. According to the Macedonian State Statistical Office, Macedonia exports tobacco, vegetables, ferronickel, textile products and sugar to Belgium.
On the other hand, motor vehicles, oils, iron, steel and plastic products are imported from Belgium.

Belgian JetAirFly to Connect Brussels and Skopje

2011-12-06T09:50:00.001+01:00

New air connection will be established between Skopje and Brussels by Belgian airlinie JetAirFly.

The ticket cost is set at 79 euros. Flights are scheduled to start on May 11, 2012.

JetAirFly from Brussels will operate in a 'triangle' fashion in it that it is first going to land in Ohrid and then Skopje (Brussels - Ohrid- Skopje).

Kaizer Chiefs close 13. Taksirat festival

2011-12-06T08:33:00.001+01:00

British indie-rock band "Kaizer Chiefs" closed the 13. Taksirat music festival with a thunderous performance in a packed "Metropolis Arena" at Skopje Fair on Saturday evening.

Kaizer Chiefs came to Skopje straight from Paris prior to their tour that includes over 20 concerts. The popular English band came for the first time in Macedonia, promoting its 'best of' and latest album "The Future is Medieval".

Besides Kaizer Chiefs, Taksirat's final evening included domestic bands Verka and T.B.Traceri, as well as Clawfinger, Asian Dub Foundation, Fat Joe and Buraka som sistema.

Over the past week, audiences had the chance to see a number of musicians and bands, including Dubioza Kolektiv, Diskobajagi, B-real, Psycho Realm, Atari Teenage Riot, S.A.R.S., Jaya The cat, Kawasaki 3p, Nezni Dalibor, Rise of Artificial, General Woo feat, Lil Bear & Dirty Hairy, Canon, Glasnom, Kanton 6, Project 2501, Raw’N’Wicked, DJ Slave, Scratch That Drum, Shutka Roma Rap, Kreepr and Selector Lazy Face.

In the course of its 13-year existence, Taksirat festival has presented exceptional musical names, including Juliete Lewis, Moonspel, Elemental, Hladno Pivo, Guano Apes, Kiril Dzajkovski, Delinquent Habits, Eye Cue, Weding dub., Fun Lovin' Criminals, The Stranglers, Wailers, Iggy pop& The Stooges, DJ Timo Maas, Тiga, The Roots, Marky Ramone, Swayzak, Neville Staple (the Specials), Manu Chao La Ventura and many more.

St. Clement Award goes to Archeologist

2011-12-06T08:31:00.001+01:00

The commission in charge of allocating the St. Clement of Ohrid state award has decided upon this year's recipients in the field of education, culture and art.

Archaeologist Dragi Mitrevski is the winner of the 2011 St. Clement of Ohrid award for his achievements in the area of education, the Ministry of Culture says in a press release.

In the field of culture and art, the recognition is presented to academician and writer Luan Starova and painter Nikola Fidanoski.

The accolade will be presented to this year's laureates at a ceremony on the Day of St. Clement of Ohrid (Dec. 8).

The St. Clement of Ohrid state award is the highest recognition for life achievements in the field of education, culture, art, health-care, sports, environment protection and social activities.

Macedonia presented as gateway for running Japanese businesses in Europe

2011-12-03T21:20:00.001+01:00

Macedonia's investment opportunities have been presented for the first time before the Japanese business community in Osaka. Agriculture, food and wine production, manufacturing of car components and low income tax of 10% compared to high taxes in Japan are the most distinguished sectors, which Macedonia is known for, according to the director of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) for Osaka, Suzuki Yatsushi.

Investment opportunities offered by the Republic of Macedonia as a gateway for running businesses in Europe were presented at the second business forum organised by a government delegation led by PM Nikola Gruevski in cooperation with JETRO before representatives of several Japanese companies from the Osaka Prefecture.

Macedonia, the JETRO director said, in recent years has improved its business procedures and now it is ranked 22nd on the Doing Business list by the World Bank, whereas Japan is 20th on the same list.

PM Gruevski in his address underlined the profound respect of the strong collective working ethics and innovative brilliance of Japan, which has helped the hard-working and intelligent nation of Japan to establish the third biggest economy in the world, the government said in a press release.

"The Republic of Macedonia in the past several years for many has become one of the most pleasant surprises and one of the most positive economic examples in Europe," Gruevski noted.

According to the press release, he said that Macedonia's achievements had been recognised by the World Bank in its Doing Business report in which Macedonia was one of the most improved economies and business destinations, while in the 2012 report it was ranked 22nd, thus being higher on the list compared to 19 out of 27 EU member countries. Macedonia's rating is seen as stable and with positive perspectives in a report recently published by the credit rating agency Fitch in circumstances when the agency has lowered the ratings of over 10 European countries - which indicates that Fitch differentiates Macedonia and its policies compared to other countries. According to Gruevski, it came as a result of the Macedonian government's commitment to improve the business climate and working conditions for both domestic and foreign companies.

"Our goal is to attain economic growth, to develop the private sector and to open new jobs. Consequently, we work very hard to enable favourable conditions for companies to make profits and to achieve double benefit - for companies' management and the living standards of Macedonian citizens," Gruevski noted.

"The government is addressing one of its most important challenges to provide educational opportunities for its citizens that are required by modern societies. Macedonia has significantly increased its funding for education, expanded the access to higher education and boosted the use of computers and Internet in public schools and universities. These measures resulted in attracting many famous foreign companies in Macedonia," the PM added.

By implementing a series of structural and institutional reforms, PM Gruevski said that growth and efficiency were being supported as well as investments leading to dynamic market economy, which on its part provided flexibility for the structural changes needed for Macedonia to succeed on international markets and to adapt towards the challenges on the road to EU accession.

Vice PM and Minister of Finance Zoran Stavreski also delivered an address at the business forum presenting country's macroeconomic policy, reforms realized in the tax system, cadastre and central register as well as the investment opportunities in the sector of infrastructure and energy, reads the press release.

Business presentations were also delivered by Minister for Foreign Investments, Bill Pavleski, director of the Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion, Visar Fida and director of the Directorate for Technological Industrial Development Zones, Viktor Mizo.

The Osaka business forum wraps up the visit of the government's delegation led by Premier Gruevski to Japan, where the PM met with Crown Prince Naruhito and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda and other government officials. Two business forums in Tokyo and Osaka were organised during the visit as well.

Macedonian Construction Companies Enter New Markets

2011-12-03T21:19:00.001+01:00

Macedonian construction companies are considered one of the best in Europe. Because of this the volume of new work has increased in Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Italy and Ukraine, whereas on other markets, Macedonian companies reported a decrease. On the other hand, Montenegro and France are new markets.

Construction companies conducted construction work worth MKD 1.7 billion in Macedonia in the first nine months.

This is 8.9 percent less than in the same period of 2010. According to the data of the Macedonian State Statistical Office, construction companies agreed construction work worth MKD 2 billion on foreign markets. This is 48.9 percent less than in the same period last year due to financial crisis.

Macedonia Enhances Cooperation with Argentina

2011-12-03T21:17:00.001+01:00

At the presentation of the Argentinean economy and market at the Macedonian Chamber of Economy, future cooperation between Macedonia and Argentina was promoted.

This cooperation represents entry into the South American economic community MERKOSUR, which has a market of 298 million customers.

This was said by Guillermo Salvador Azrak, Argentinean ambassador in Sofia in charge of Macedonia. He explained that MERKOSUR’s full members are also Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, while Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Columbia are affiliated members.

Azrak added that there is a lot more manoeuvring room and possibilities for improvement of economic cooperation between the two countries.

Kromberg & Schubert in Bitola

2011-12-01T13:08:00.001+01:00

Germany-based company Kromberg & Schubert will start building a plant in Bitola in December. The long awaited plant for production of car cables will start employing workers as of May. At first, it will hire 500 people and then the number will grow to 2,500 people.
Moreover, another six investments in Bitola are expected. They pertain to construction of hotels, but some investors are also interested in timber, food and milk industry. In the meantime, the government’s team presented investment possibilities in Macedonia last week.
Several Austrian and German companies have already announced that they are interested in investing in Macedonia. Allegedly, Siemens and BMW are among the interested investors. Moreover, the government team has already agreed cooperation with Teksport, which already has two plants in Macedonia.

Japan, Macedonia agree to boost tourism, study, business exchanges

2011-12-01T13:05:00.001+01:00

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his visiting Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski agreed Wednesday to boost their countries' tourism, study and business exchanges, Japanese officials said.
Gruevski, the first Macedonian prime minister to visit Japan, voiced hope that his visit will strengthen bilateral ties, after Noda thanked the Balkan country for its aid for Japan in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Gruevski also expressed his country's intention to open an embassy in Japan, the Foreign Ministry said.At the outset of their meeting, which was open to the press, Noda assured his visitor that "reconstruction in disaster-hit areas is underway and the supply chains have almost fully recovered.
"Macedonia, which gained its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, is aiming for economic development through foreign capital.

German Companies to invest in Macedonia

2011-11-28T10:02:00.001+01:00

Several companies from Germany have announced their investments in Macedonia. The agreements are being finalized, but the Macedonian government team has not revealed the names of the German companies yet.
Allegedly, they operate in automobile industry. As soon as the agreements are completed, it will be known which companies responded positively to the government promotion of Macedonia as an attractive business destination.
Interest of German investors has been steadfast and Macedonia can expect more investments from Germany in the coming period, says Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski.
The coming period is very important for the country. Two corridors, Corridor 8 and Corridor 10 have to be completed, economy minister Vladimir Pesevski said.

Austrian company to launch 1 million euro investment in Vinica

2011-11-24T13:41:00.001+01:00

Austria's Texport company in 2012 will invest one million euros for construction of a factory manufacturing workwear. The investor unveiled its final decision on Tuesday at the Macedonian-Austrian business forum held in Vienna. About 150 companies interested in investing in Macedonia attended the event.
The plant will be located in Vinica and is expected to open jobs for 200 people. Production is planned to be launched by the end of 2012, MIA reports from Vienna. Company's managing director Otmar Schneider said that land had been purchased and that project's realisation would be conducted in the winter. This is the third investment in Macedonia by Austria's Texport.
"We've started in 1999 in Skopje with 60 employees, now there are 200... The Kocani plant also employs 200 workers and the new investment is expected to open 200 jobs," Schneider.
He praised the working conditions and workforce in Macedonia, saying it was qualified for production of quality garments. Company's products are mainly exported throughout Europe as well as in South America and Saudi Arabia.Vice PM for Economic Affairs, Vladimir Pesevski said the investment was a proof that Government's strategy to attract investments was prolific. "Forums serve for establishing initial contacts, for triggering company interest and for wrapping up negotiations with companies that have already decided to invest in Macedonia," Pesevski stated.
The Vice PM said that Government's team had held talks with other firms in Vienna and expressed hopes that such positive news would be also announced in the future.
Macedonia's investment potentials were presented before Austrian businessmen, namely in manufacturing car components, the energy sector, IT, textile, agriculture...
Austria is one of the leading investors in Macedonia with an influx of foreign investments of 370 million euros between 1997 and 2010 and takes the prime spot according to the influx of foreign direct investments from 2005 to 2010. This year, the influx of investments stands at 10 million euros. Austrian capital has been invested in telecommunications, banking sector, insurance and other areas.

Numbers of Hotels in Macedonia Increased by 51.2%

2011-11-24T13:36:00.001+01:00

In the period of 12 years, from 1999 to 2010, the number of hotels in Macedonia increased by 51.2 percent, from 82 to 124 hotels.
On the other hand, the number of hotel rooms dropped by 4.5 percent, from 5,916 to 5,651, in the same period, while the number of beds decreased by 13 percent, from 14,564 to 12,734, show the data of the analysis on Macedonian hotels in terms of change, which was carried out by Mitre Avramovski of Ohrid Tourism Faculty.
Reasons for such a situation are a chaotic transition and shutting down of numerous hotels built during the period of former Yugoslavia as well as construction and opening of smaller hotels.

Albanian tour-operators, journalists visit Macedonia

2011-11-22T15:49:00.001+01:00

Popova Sapka

Economy Minister Valon Saraqini and Macedonian Ambassador to Tirana Vele Trpevski met Monday with tour-operators and journalists from the Republic of Albania, who pay a visit to Macedonia within project "Promotion of Macedonia's Winter Tourism in Albania".
"Macedonia-Albania cooperation in the tourism field has focused on stay of Albanian tourists in the Ohrid-Struga region, as well as vacations of Macedonian nationals on the Adriatic coast. This project aims at offering Albanians our winter resorts. Moreover, we want to create a joint tourism product for the global tourist by combining their seaside with our lakes and mountains", said Minister Saraqini.
The Albanian guests were presented with the possibilities of winter resorts Mavrovo and Popova Sapka. They also met with Macedonian tour-operators and representatives of country's tourism associations.

Skopje hosts Beaujolais Nouveau Day

2011-11-22T15:46:00.001+01:00

Beaujolais Nouveau Day, organised by the French Cultural Center in Skopje, was marked yesterday in the capital.
The event, which aims to present this red wine fermented for only a few weeks and to establish a nice and long French tradition in Macedonia, was opened by French ambassador to Macedonia Jean-Claude Schlumberger.
Beaujolais Nouveau is released for sale on the third Thursday of November and the day is celebrated in many French-speaking and non French-speaking countries.
The Skopje event was held after a hiatus of several years. Managers Dimitar Pavlevski and Aleksandar Vuckovski at the ceremony were introduced into the Beaujolais Nouveau order for their efforts in affirming French-Macedonian relations.

Both Mak Airports register increase in travellers

2011-11-21T10:36:00.001+01:00

The number of passengers transported through Skopje airport "Alexander the Great" and Ohrid-based "St.Paul the Apostle" in October has increased by 18.9 percent compared to the same month in 2010.
A total of 74,703 passengers were transported this October compared to last year's 62,876, said the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Thursday.

The same trend was registered in September, with the number of passengers rising by 25.4 percent compared to last year, i.e. 82,641 to 65,878.

Macedonia Presenting Its Folklore in China

2011-11-17T12:46:00.001+01:00

Macedonia is promoting its folklore in China this week, ending in November 19.
Exhibit "Macedonian Folklore" of Gordana Vrencoska will have the honor the open the event at the Beijing Jintai Art Museum. The exhibit will display photos, items, graphics, along with traditional folk costumes.
Minister of Culture Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska, who is set to open the display, will sign Wednesday a cooperation program for the period 2012-2017 with Chinese counterpart Cai Wu.
In the course of the official visit to Beijing, Minister Kanceska-Milevska will visit several national institutions and meet with chairman of the China Artists Association.
On Thursday, prominent folk ensemble "Tanec" will give a concert in Beijing Century hall, followed by another one in the city of Dalian.

Ohrid's St. Paul the Apostle is Best in Class of Smaller Airports

2011-11-17T12:41:00.001+01:00

Ohrid airport: Saint Paul the Apostle

According to the International Airport Council, Ohrid-based St. Paul the Apostle airport is the absolute winner in the group of small airports with up to five million passengers a year. In comparison with September 2011, goods transport growth reached 198.1 percent in a year.
The two Macedonian airports are managed by Turkish TAV. Istanbul-based Kemal Atatturk Airport, which is also managed by TAV, reported the highest growth in goods transport in its group of airports with more than 25 million passengers a year. Leading European airports (Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London) recorded losses in international goods transport (6, 5.7 and 3.7 percent).

Skovin's Wine popular in Japan

2011-11-16T15:43:00.001+01:00

Macedonian winery Skovin, the only winery in Macedonia that exports wine to Japan, will strengthen its position on the Japanese market. The quality of Skovin’s wine was confirmed by experts from the largest Japanese winery, Santori.
The penetration of Macedonian wines in the Japanese market is even more significant if one takes into account that the Japanese market is very picky when it comes to quality. Export to Japan is expected to increase substantially in the coming period. Last year, 500,000 litres of wine was exported to Japan.Skovin has a good quality of wines and manages the quality control well. For this reason, it has been chosen by Japanese consumers.

"Mothers" wins Minsk festival award

2011-11-16T15:16:00.001+01:00

Film "Mothers" of Milco Mancevski won award "Film as Artistic Phenomenon" at the Minsk film festival "Listapad", which is its fifth international award.
"I did not even know the film was in competition. It received enormous approval, I had lengthy talks with the audience and interviews", said director Mancevski.
"Mothers", a Macedonian-French-Bulgarian co-production, has been included among 20 films for the European Film Award.

Skopje observes its Liberation Day

2011-11-14T08:19:00.001+01:00

Many cultural, humanitarian and sports events are to mark Sunday the Liberation Day - 13 November - of Macedonia's capital - Skopje.

On the occasion, the '13 November' award will be presented at the cinema 'Frosina' to this year laureates: PhD Nikita Sekutovski, Prof. Ljubinka Bosotova - education; Bojku Fejzi and Dimitar Masevski - art; Boris Pop Gjorcev - journalisam; Bosko Zaborski - sports; Aleksandar Janevski - humanitarian activities; Mico Popovski - business; the Center for Environmental Reaserch and Information 'Eco-Svest'; as well as students - Ivan Antovski, Tasko Smilevski and Aleksandar Stepanovski.

Early today, Skopje Mayor Koce Trajanovski met with a group of veterans, who fought for Skopje liberation in 1944.

Skopje in November 2011

State, diplomatic delegations are also set to lay fresh flowers on the monuments of Skopje Liberators, Partisan Cemetery and General 'Mihajlo Apostolski' monument.

The program also includes a Red Cross blood donation campaign and several sports events.

Skopje was liberated on 13 November 1944 by Yugoslav Partisan units of the Macedonian National Liberation Army. Soon after, Skopje became the capital of the newly established People's Republic of Macedonia within the Yugoslavia.

In 1963 the city suffered considerable damage from a major earthquake, which killed over 1,000 people. International financial aid poured into Skopje in order to help rebuild the city, which since then has been known as the 'City of Solidarity'.

PM Gruevski meets British businessmen in London

2011-11-14T08:16:00.001+01:00

Nikola Gruevski

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski presented yesterday the opportunities for investing in Macedonia to British businessmen in London at an event organized by the British Business Group Macedonia, chaired by Ray Power, the Government said Saturday in a press release.

Traditionally good political relations between Macedonia and Britain, especially affirmed by London's support of Macedonia's EU, NATO integration processes, will also contribute to boosting the bilateral economic cooperation, Gruevski said at the presentation.

The Government, he said, has been working on improving the business climate and working conditions for both domestic and foreign companies in a stable macroeconomic environment.

In this respect Gruevski mentioned the World Bank Doing Business report, which for several years in a row has been ranking Macedonia among the best reformers and attractive business destinations.

Gruevski also referred to the technological industrial development zones and benefits they were offering. They have already welcomed the plants of British companies Johnson Controls and Johnson Metty. For the last four months there has been an intensive investment activity in these zones, namely Johnson Controls is opening yet another plant, while the Italian company 'TeknoHose', US 'Kemet Electronics', Russia's 'Protec Group' and India's 'Motherson Group' have been working on the realization of their investments.

Prince Michael of Kent, who honored the presentaion with his presence, said he was fascinated by the opportunities for investing in Macedonia and urged British businessmen to learn more about them.

At a separate meeting Gruevski and Prince Michael of Kent shared opinions on possibilities for further development of the Macedonian-British cooperation.

Macedonian Culture Days' opens in Osijek

2011-11-14T08:14:00.001+01:00

'Macedonian Culture Days', organised by the Macedonian Cultural Society Braca Miladinovci based in Osijek, opened at the Croatian National Theatre in Osijek on Saturday evening with a play performed by the Anton Panov Theatre from Strumica.
The event, to last until December 1, includes an ethnological exhibition, documentary films, a presentation of a book by Vasil Tocinovski, and a concert of classical music.

Macedonia hosts Days of Ukrainian Culture

2011-11-14T08:13:00.001+01:00

Ukrainian, Macedonian Deputy Culture Ministers Yuri Bogutsky and Dragan Nedeljkovic will have the honor Saturday to the Days of Ukrainian Culture in Macedonia.
The manifestation kicks off with the exhibition of art holograms 'Golden Treasury of Ukraine'. The event's program includes the presentation of Mykola Maschenko's and Valeriy Yamburskyy's films 'Bogdan Zinoviy Khmelnytsky' and 'The Day of Defeated' respectively, as well as a concert of the Ukrainian national folk dance ensemble Pavlo Virsky.
On Monday film fans in Skopje will also have an opportunity to see the film 'Platon Angel' - work of art of Ivan Voytyuk.

Skopje's Old Theater to be opened with play by Jordan Plevnes

2011-11-14T08:12:00.001+01:00

Skopje, 11 November 2011 (MIA) - With the premiere of "Eternal House" - a play by Jordan Plevnes - Skopje's reconstructed Old Theatre will be formally opened in 2012, Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska told a press conference on Friday.
Jordan Plevnes' text was selected at an open competition for a play which will formally open the Skopje Old Theatre. 13 plays were submitted at the 6-month competition announced by the Ministry of Culture.
The jury responsible for selecting the best play was comprised of academic Georgi Stardelov, academic Luan Starova, university professor Jelena Luzina, actor Petar Temelkovski and theater director Dejan Projkoski.
Jordan Plevnes is a prolific playwright and poet, whose works have been translated and published around the globe. He has been awarded with France's Order of the Knight of Arts and Literature.
"His text 'Eternal House' is based on the abstract and deeply humane notion of the house as an ideal home and focuses on the subject of constant affirmation of one's own identity," the minister said.

Kanceska-Milevska reports on Ministry of Culture's activities in 100 days of new government

2011-11-10T15:01:00.003+01:00

The Ministry of Culture has been continuing to realize its program towards improving the cultural environment in Macedonia and affirming the country's best cultural values across the globe.
Reporting on the activities in the 100 days since the establishment of the new government, Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska said the ministry was functioning in line with clearly set goals--support and nourishment of the traditional and contemporary cultural values, investment in the infrastructure, restoration, conservation and promotion of the cultural heritage, archaeological researches...
Listing the realized projects, she mentioned the new Museum of Macedonian Struggle for Statehood and Independence, overhauling of the memorial house of Miladinovci Brothers in Struga, the Memorial Museum '11 Oktomvri' in Prilep, opening of the City Museum in Kriva Palanka.
In regard to publishing, she mentioned the promotion of 130 volumes of Macedonian Literature, translated in English.
Referring to cultural events, Kancevska-Milevska singled out the observance of the 50the anniversary of 'Struga Poetry Evenings'.Speaking about the international cooperation, Kanceska-Milevska said the 'Days of Macedonian Culture' were organized in Saint Petersburg and Tallinn - the European Capital of Culture 2011.
Furthermore, the Skopje-based National and University Library took part at Frankfurt Book Fair, Macedonia became a UNESCO Executive Board member and Tose Proeski Memorial House won the People's Choice Award.
The Ministry's future projects include a promotion of the new 'Old Theater', Philharmonic Hall, construction of a Film Center, digitization of the audio-visual cultural heritage.
The Ministry will also work on drafting several laws and a national strategy for cultural development, Kanceska-Milevska said.

Dutch Co. to Design new Skopje Railway Station

2011-11-09T08:21:00.004+01:00

Dutch advisory firm Grontmij will design a project for a 2.6 million euro ($3.57 million) reconstruction of Skopje’s main railway station, Macedonia's transport ministry said on Tuesday.Grontmij will also prepare the tender documents for contractor and supervisor of the station's overhaul, the ministry said in a statement sent to MINA.

Macedonia Supporting Low Cost Airlines

2011-11-09T08:19:00.003+01:00

Macedonian Government has decided to grant EUR 1,4 million in subventions to low-cost airlines and to that effect a procedure for amending the law on air traffic is already opened, Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakievski said Monday.
The aim is to attract more airlines to use the airports in Skopje and Ohrid, which are expected to introduce new destinations and cut the ticket prices, Janakieski said at the press conference on what his ministry has done for the 100 days since the making up of the new Government.
The ministry worked on realizing the program that won the trust of the electorate, namely resuming the reforms for better infrastructure, safe transport, inflow of new investments and higher living standard for the citizens of Macedonia, Janakieski said.
Listing the completed projects, he mentioned the reconstructed Skopje Airport 'Alexander the Great' - an EUR 100 million - investment of the Turkish 'TAV', construction of the highway 7,6 km-long section Tabanovce - Kumanovo - EUR 15,5 million, legalization of illegal buildings, procurement of new low-floor and double decker buses...

Tose Proeski Memorial wins People's Choice Award

2011-11-06T17:50:00.001+01:00

Tose Proeski Memorial House.

The Memorial House of Macedonia's late pop star Tose Proeski, designed by the 'Syndicate Studio' is the winner of People's Choice Award - the building of 2011, launched this year within the prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Barcelona.
Over 15,000 people voted on-line for the Proeski Memorial, which also won the majority of the jury votes.
The Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City and the 'Atmosphere' building in Kolkata won the second and third place.A total of 704 buildings, located across the globe, were competing for the award.
WAF is the world's largest, live, inclusive and interactive global architecture event and features the world's biggest architectural contest – The World Architectural Festival Awards.

Tram is Coming to Skopje

2011-11-06T17:49:00.001+01:00

Decades-old idea about a tram in Skopje will be finally realized. The feasibility study has been carried out by consultants of Vialto.
The project has thus entered the second phase, which includes preparation of the tender documentation, which should be completed in January 2012.
Afterwards, a tender for a tram concessionaire will be invited. This procedure will last three or four months. This means that a concessionaire will be chosen already in May or June, announced Skopje mayor Koce Trajanovski.
Analyses show that the investment is profitable, with the possibility of the Town of Skopje and the Macedonian government participating in annual costs, Trajanovski said.

Macedonia Promises Bulgaria Progress on 'Corridor 8'

2011-11-06T17:48:00.000+01:00

Macedonia's government has agreed with Bulgaria's that the still imaginary project for Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 8 is a priority, the Bulgarian Transport Ministry announced.
Macedonia's new promises to help launch at last the transport corridor have come at a meeting of Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister Kamen Kichev with his Macedonian counterpart Tehir Hani.
Pan-European Corridor No. 8 – a parallel linking the Bulgarian Black Sea ports to the Albanian Adriatic ports via Macedonia along and its extension to Italy, a supposedly vital chain in the proposed shortest route between East and Central Asia and Western Europe – has been talked about for years with grand expectations for boosting trade and development in the Balkans – but has seen little realization.

Probably the most important obstacle for the project is the lack of a railway connection between Bulgaria and Macedonia, with the Macedonian state balking at the construction of several dozen kilometers of line on its territory.
Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister Kichev has presented to the Macedonian government the transport road and railway section under construction and/or rehabilitation in Bulgaria that are part of the proposed route of Corridor 8, the Transport Ministry in Sofia said.
These include the Trakiya Highway and the Lyulin Highway; sections from the Sofia-Burgas railway and the Karnobat-Sindel railway; and the modernization of Port Varna and Port Burgas on the Black Sea.
"The project for the construction of the Sofia-Skopje railway is of strategic significance both because it would connect the railway networks of the two states, and because it would held for the completion of the Corridor 8 route," Kichev told his Macedonian counterpart.
He further said the Bulgarian government needs to construct only 2.5 km of railway from the village of Gyueshevo to the Macedonian border.
"We are ready to build it right now if the Republic of Macedonia starts constructing their section," Milcho Lambrev, Director-General of Bulgaria's National Company "Railway Infrastructure.
"The Bulgarian Transport Ministry further says that Macedonia's Ministry of Transport and Communication "is in an advanced phase of the feasibility study for the railway line from Kumanovo to Deve Bair", the missing railway section on Macedonian territory.
"We are optimistic that we will complete the railway in 5 years," the Macedonian Transport Ministry is quoted as saying.

Days of Macedonian Culture in Estonia

2011-11-04T10:37:00.001+01:00

Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska -
Maceodnian minister of culture.

Opening of exhibition "Macedonian Folk Costumes and Embroideries" marks the beginning of event "Days of Macedonian Culture" in Tallinn on Thursday.
The display, set at the National Library of Estonia, is created by custodian Gordance Vidinic.
Days of Macedonian Culture in Tallinn are organized by the Ministry of Culture, aimed towards enhancing international cultural cooperation.
In this regard, Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska is set to meet with Estonian colleague Rein Lang on Friday, as well as visit a number of cultural institutions in Tallinn.
Minister of culture, Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska will also open exhibition "In City", arranged by the Museum of Contemporary Arts, displaying artworks of modern Macedonian art.
Moreover, national ensemble of folk songs and dances "Tanec" will hold a concert in the prestigious "Nokia" hall.In addition, Macedonia's urban culture will be presented through the performance of Kiril Dzajkovski.

Macedonia's tourism potentials presented in Finland

2011-11-03T08:46:00.000+01:00

The travel show organized by the Agency Promotion and Support of Tourism as part of the Government's activities for promotion of the country's tourism potentials was held late Tuesday in Finland capital Helsinki.
Ambassador Kire Ilievski thanked largest Finnish tour operator "Aurinkomatkat" and airline "Finnair" for the successful completion of ten charter flights in the course of the year, but also the team of "Ridman Production", which made a series of photos and videos presenting Macedonia's tourism potentials and cultural heritage.
Agency representatives also met with "Aurinkomatkat" officials, agreeing on a marketing strategy, including participation at tourism fair MATKA in Finland, for the purpose of attracting more tourists for the 2012 season.
Vice Premier for European Affairs Teuta Arifi, who paid a working visit to Finland yesterday, attended the promotion.Similar presentations were held in several Finnish cities in the course of October.

The Mysteries around Kokino

2011-11-02T08:39:00.001+01:00

Kokino.

The crescent moon is seen over a rocky crest filled with astronomical stone markers at the ancient megalithic observatory of Kokino, Macedonia, back on 21 June 2009, the day of the Summer solstice. Kokino includes special stone markers used to track the movement of sun and moon on the eastern horizon.
Kokino was accidentally discovered by Macedonian archeologist Jovica Stankovski back in 2001.
The observatory used the method of stationary observation, marking positions of the sun at the winter and summer solstice, as well as the equinox. The ancient astronomic observatory, located about 80 km north-east of Skopje, dates back more than 4.000 years.
Kokino has been nominated to be included on UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. The importance of the site was confirmed by US space agency NASA, which placed it on its list of ancient observatories.
A Kokino culture may have been found, after a network of 10 temples were discovered in the mountain peaks of the Kumanovo-Kratovo region, dating back to 20th-18th century BC. Stone drawings have also been discovered, especially those of the eagle (associated with storms), and turtles (symbol of country). At least ten figurine objects of humans and animals have been discovered. If Kokino is identified as an ancient civilization, it would be the oldest known in southern Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokino

Johnson Controls Starts moving machines in Shtip

2011-11-02T08:33:00.003+01:00

Johnsons Controls will start moving machines to the premises in Makedonska Street in Stip in about ten days.
The company will also launch test production, informed Viktor Mizo, head of the Technological-Industrial Development Zone Bunardzik (TIRZ), at the government session. He announced employment of 300 people in the company as of early next year.
In November, equipment of Chinese company Haier is expected to be delivered to TIRZ. In the past few days, meetings with representatives of Haier were held and investment details discussed. All announced investments in Macedonia are progressing without any impediments.

Canadians Can Receive their Pensions in Macedonia

2011-11-02T08:32:00.001+01:00

Approximately 200,000 emigrants in Canada are able to realize their rights of pension and disability insurance in line with the Macedonia-Canada social insurance agreement, which enters into force on Tuesday.
Minister of Labor and Social Policy Spiro Ristovski said at today's press conference that the agreement applies to all individuals who achieved insurance or residence periods taken into account when realizing the right of pension in Republic of Macedonia or Canada, in line with the countries' regulations. The accord regulates the calculation of insurance periods in both countries, thus enabling the individual to realize the right for pension.
"The agreement guarantees the payment of pension in the other contracting state, i.e. provides the opportunity for transfer of Canadian pensions in Macedonia, if the beneficiary returns to live in Macedonia", said Ristovski.
The agreement applies to all individuals who worked in both counties, as well as members of their families. The document includes the principle of equal actions towards individuals working at the territory of the other state.
"By the end of 2011, the Government will initiate the conclusion of social insurance agreements with Slovakia, France and New Zealand, alongside ongoing procedures with Italy and Albania. In the coming period, the Government will also work on concluding such agreements with Norway, Sweden, Great Britain, Spain, Uzbekistan and United Arab Emirates", said Minister Ristovski.Republic of Macedonia has concluded social insurance agreement with 18 countries - Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Montenegro, Australia and Canada - whereas such an agreement with Denmark is in the process of ratification.
"The application of the bilateral social insurance agreements has resulted in 35,000 citizens using pensions from another country. Approximately 13,000 Macedonian nationals use pensions from Germany, over 5,000 from Poland, 8,000 from Serbia, 2,000 from Switzerland, 2,000 from Croatia, 1,000 from Slovenia etc", underlined Ristovski.

Finnish tourists more than satisfied from Ohrid vacation

2011-10-31T09:50:00.001+01:00

Finnish tourists who spent their summer vacation for the first time in Ohrid are satisfied from the visit to Macedonia. The internal poll conducted by the Finnish tour operator “Aurinkomatkat” showed that the guests were pleasantly surprised by overall tourist offer, mostly from hospitality of the Macedonian people.
According to answers by guests given in the poll comprised of 30 questions, Macedonia was evaluated 4.42 of maximum grade 5, which is very positive information, mainly for the tour operator which already has announced increase of charter flights for Ohrid next year.
Director of the Agency for Promotion and Support of Tourism Zoran Strezoski said that further attraction of guest should be promoted in services of hotel management from aspect to use world standards.

Ohrid - leading tourist destination in Macedonia.

He added that we should continue to believe that Ohrid and Macedonia have much to offer, to follow world trends, but we should work on alleviation of shortages and improvement of infrastructure.
Around 1.000 guests from Finland spent summer vacation for the first time in Ohrid accommodated in famous hotels. Ten charter flights from Helsinki to Ohrid with 100 tourists were realised.
Tour operator “Aurinkomatkat” which placed Macedonia in its tourist offer, is part of Fin Air company and is one of the largest tour operators in Finland, providing services to over 350.000 tourists per year.
Source: http://www.mia.com.mk/default.aspx?vId=88035744&lId=2&pmId=504

MIA, Macedonia: “A Name is a Name” documentary to be screened at Global Wake Up Film Festival in Chicago

2011-10-30T21:56:00.002+01:00

Skopje. "A Name is a Name" documentary about Macedonia and the Macedonian people will be screened Saturday in Chicago in the frames of the Global Wake Up Film Festival, organised by the United Nations Association of Chicago, Macedonian MIA news agency informed.
"A Name is a Name" documentary is produced by Jason Miko and directed by Icelander Sigurjon Einarson, who lives and works in Norway.
The story line is that of a Scandinavian man who comes to Macedonia, rents a motorcycle, and travels around the country talking to Macedonians from all classes and backgrounds. The traveller, as he is known, never speaks on camera and in fact, we never learn his name or what country he hails from. Instead, his thoughts are conveyed through Sir Andrew Motion with subtitles in English for the interviews. Interspersed throughout the conversations will be Macedonia itself – the stunning landscapes and scenery that make up this gentle country and ancient land.

Organic Food Festival, Macedonia leader in organic production in the region

2011-10-30T21:52:00.002+01:00

The organic food production becomes recognisable agricultural production and more accessible for the citizens, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Ljupco Dimovski said at opening of the 1st Organic Food Festival under the motto "From nature to me" held Saturday at Macedonia Square in organisation of the City of Skopje and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and in cooperation with the Macedonian Organic Producers Federation.

Dimovski said that continuous growth and development of organic production has been noted in the Republic of Macedonia. In 2010 the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management registered the biggest growth in this sector according to number of producers and according to certified production area.

Of 321 certified producers of organic food in 2009, their number reached 562 in 2010. The certified production area was increased by more than three times by only one year i.e. from 1.400ha in 2009 to 5.225ha in 2010, Dimovski said.

The area for organic production of grain was increased by more than 2.300ha for only one year. Also large growth was registered in organic grape growing – from 60.4ha in 2009, the area of organic grape was increased by 244 ha in 2010.

In organic cattle breeding last year compared to 2009 the number of heads was increased by over 2.000. The record increase of number of organic sheep is from 22.000 to 100.000.

Organic producers were paid subsidies at amount of EUR 1,62 million in 2010 according to the Government’s Financial Support Programme. More than EUR 1.78 million is allocated from the budget for support of organic production for this year, Dimovski said.

Thirty organic food producers from the country and the region will be presented today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. providing tasty, natural organic food for tasting accompanied by live entertainment programme by music band "Mama band."

Festival’s goal is to emphasise the importance of natural, organic food for the health of current and future generations but also for maintenance of biodiversity.

'Macedonia Timeless - Food' Picks up Croatia Award

2011-10-28T09:10:00.001+02:00

TV clip "Macedonia Timeless - Food" has received international award for "Impressive Presentation of Macedonia's Tourism Values" at the tourism film festival in Solin, Croatia.

This is the clip's second international award, which acknowledges the appropriate promotion of Macedonia's values as a tourism destination."Macedonia Timeless - Food", produced by agency "Republika", was also rewarded at the Budva international tourism festival, receiving the top gong for a TV clip.

www.macedonia-timeless.com

“Vero” opening two new supermarkets in Macedonia

2011-10-28T09:08:00.001+02:00

Company “Vero” denied yesterday the media rumors that it’s leaving from Macedonia and announces opening of two new supermarkets. The company’s officials said that the market in this country operate profitably.
In the first six months of the year Vero’s profit grew by 25% compared to same period last year.
"The results achieved Veropulos Skopje are among the best throughout Veropulos group. The company has seen continuous growth, has set long-term development policy, and soon, in December this year, will open a new supermarket in Vero Skopje. Next year our investment plan includes the opening of another supermarket, "the company’s officials stated.
"Development plans Veropulos and passion with which people run this company, confirmed that Vero will continue to grow and implement new standards and innovation in retail services,", Costas Teodosiadis, director of of Veropulos Skopje told to the media.

Macedonia awards geology contract for Lukovo Pole Dam, 5-MW Crn Kamen

2011-10-28T09:06:00.003+02:00

SKOPJE, Macedonia 10/27/11 (PennWell) -- A Macedonia utility has awarded a contract to Civil Engineering Institute Makedonia to provide geological investigation services for construction of Lukovo Pole Dam on the Kosovo border and construction of the 5-MW Crn Kamen hydro plant.
AD Elektrani na Makedonija-Skopje (JSC Macedonian Power Plants-Skopje) recruited consultants in April to define geotechnical conditions for construction of the alignment and engineering structures of the dam, 20-kilometer headrace canal, and the small hydro plant.
The 545,544 euro (US$756,432) bid of Civil Engineering Institute was chosen over bids by a joint venture led by Karst d.o.o. and a joint venture of SEA Consulting S.r.l. (Geidata Engineering S.p.A. - INTERGEO Environmental Techology Ltd.)
Lukovo Poleis to be a 71-meter-tall rockfill dam, reservoir, and intake canal to divert water from the Korab Mountains. The project is to divert additional water through Macedonia's existing Mavrovo River cascade, resulting in additional generation at the 150-MW Vrutok, 19.2-MW Raven, and 12.8-MW Vrben hydroelectric plants. Additionally, the 5-MW Crn Kamen hydropower plant is to be built at the primary outlet of Lukovo Pole.

Macedonia Top Business Reformer According To Report

2011-10-28T09:01:00.001+02:00

By Svetla Dimitrova

According to its Doing Business 2012 report, issued jointly with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), 21 of the 24 countries in the region, including all Southeast European nations with the exception of Greece, implemented a total of 53 pro-business reforms.
“For the ninth consecutive year, Eastern Europe and Central Asia [are] the world’s most reforming region,” Iva Hamel, private sector development specialist at the World Bank-IFC Indicator Based Reform Advisory, told SETimes after presenting the study’s findings in Sarajevo.
She also noted that four of the countries from this region were among the 12 global economies found to have improved most on the ease of doing business during the survey period.
The majority of countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia made strides to improve the business environment for domestic small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) between June 2010 and June 2011, the World Bank said on October 20th.
Morocco led the list, followed by Moldova and Macedonia, which carried out four pro-business reforms, each, last year.
The 212-page report covers 183 world economies, ranking them on the basis of an analysis of regulations in the areas affecting the lifecycle of domestic SMEs.
The ten indicators used in determining a country’s position include the time and cost to start and close a business, trading across borders, investor protections, registering property, construction permits, enforcing contracts, paying taxes and getting credit, as well as a new category measuring the ease of getting electricity.
Macedonia implemented reforms that made it easier to deal with construction permits, registering property, getting credit and resolving insolvency. This helped the Balkan nation improve its ranking in each of those individual categories and increase its overall ranking.
The country, which leaped 12 places to 22nd in the world, is the Southeast European country where it is easiest for domestic SMEs to do business.
According to Business Confederation of Macedonia employee Aleksandar Jovchevski, the changes have led to a significant increase in the number of SMEs in the country.
“The bulk of them operate in the construction sector, where the demand has grown following the launch of the Skopje 2014 project and further works on Pan-European transport corridors 8 and 10,” he told SETimes.
“Macedonia has made the biggest jump and is now among the top 30 in the world,” Hamel said.
“The wider use of modern technology in bureaucratic processes, which has reduced the time needed for obtaining any type of documents from the relevant services, has also contributed to an increase in the number of newly opened businesses,” Jovchevski said.
“It is not a problem to open a business from a technical standpoint; the challenge is to make it work long-term,” Mile Chupetanski, the owner of the ESKALIBUR engine-retooling factory in Bitola, told SETimes.

The other regional nations that improved their rankings were Cyprus (40th), Turkey (71st), Greece (100th) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (125th). The countries that lost ground were Bulgaria (59th), Romania (72nd), Croatia (80th), Albania (82nd) and Serbia (92nd).

Cheap Skopje - Rome Flights via Blu-Express Airlines

2011-10-25T11:25:00.003+02:00

Italian low-cost airline Blu-express, a division of Blue Panorama Airlines, will introduce regular Skopje-Rome flights on October 30.
The flights are scheduled for Thursday and Sunday, said Italy's Embassy via a press release this morning.
This flight connection will certainly contribute to bolstering the economic cooperation between the two friendly countries, the press release reads.
Few weeks ago a direct Skopje-Venice flight was also promoted.

Tose Proeski Memorial - Among Top Three projects for Building of 2011

2011-10-25T11:23:00.002+02:00

Memorial House of Macedonia's late pop star Tose Proeski has great chances to win the People's Choice Award - the building of 2011, launched this year within the prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Barcelona.
The Memorial House Tose Proeski has two rivals - the 'Atmosphere' building in Kolkata, India, and the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City. This morning Proeski's Memorial has top the list with 6,900 on-line votes on the following web site: http://openbuildings.com/peoples_choice/waf/leaderboard. The voting is opened by November 4.A total of 704 buildings, located across the globe, have been competing for the award.
Under the support of the Ministry of Culture, the project of Proeski's Memorial will be presented at the Festival's closing day - November 4.Dejan Sekulovski, one of the designers of Proeski's Museum, expressed hope that the project could even win the award.
WAF is the world’s largest, live, inclusive and interactive global architecture event and features the world's biggest architectural contest – The World Architectural Festival Awards.

Stobi on World Monuments Fund 2012 watch list

2011-10-25T11:20:00.000+02:00

Archaeological site Stobi is the only Macedonian representative in the group of cultural monuments of universal significance that require global attention on the World Monuments Fund 2012 watch list.
World Monuments Funds released the 2012 list in New York on October 5, including 67 sites and monuments from 41 countries worldwide.

Stobi - remains of a house.

National institution "Stobi" has said this represents a good opportunity to respond to challenges for conservation of Stobi buildings from the aspect of finances and human resources through international projects.
Besides conservation, the second priority is increasing the site's tourism promotion and acquainting the local population with Stobi's significance in a wider sense.
Every two years since 1996, the World Monuments Watch calls international attention to cultural heritage around the globe that is at risk from the forces of nature and the impact of social, political, and economic change.

Macedonia, Qatar sign deals on investment, tourism

2011-10-19T08:52:00.000+02:00

Macedonian authorities say Qatar and Macedonia have agreed to mutually protect and promote investments, as well as to cooperate on tourism.
The office of Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has not made public any details on the treaties signed Monday during a visit to Macedonia by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Macedonia and Qatar also inked agreements on culture, education and health following talks between Al Thani and Ivanov.
The Qatari leader, who is accompanied by a 100-member business delegation, will meet Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on Tuesday.

Emir of Qatar to visit Macedonia on Monday

2011-10-17T08:55:00.003+02:00

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, will arrive on Monday (Oct. 17) for a two-day official visit to the Republic of Macedonia upon an invitation by President Gjorge Ivanov.
This is the first official visit by a ruler from the Arab world since Macedonia declared independence. The Emir of Qatar kicks off his European tour in Macedonia, followed by visits to Albania, Poland and Ukraine.On Tuesday, according to the agenda, the Emir of Qatar is scheduled to meet with Premier Nikola Gruevski and with Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski. He is also set to tour Skopje's landmarks and the Old Bazaar.
The visit is significant because it lays a foundation for the political dialogue to be resumed and represents a strong signal for intensifying overall cooperation, especially business ties, President's cabinet says in a press release on Friday.The Macedonian President and the Emir of Qatar at their meeting on Monday will discuss bilateral relations and recent developments in Balkan countries, the Middle East and North Africa.
An emphasis will be put on advancing countries' economic relations - boosting trade exchange and reviewing possibilities for direct Qatar investments in Macedonia's economy.Several bilateral agreements in the field of culture, education, health and economy will be signed during Qatar Emir's visit to Macedonia, reads the press release.
The governments of the Republic of Macedonia and the State of Qatar will ink treaties on mutual promotion and protection of investments, regulation of workers' employment in the State of Qatar and on visa abolition for owners of diplomatic, official and special passports.Both delegations will sign a memorandum of understanding for tourism cooperation between Macedonia's Ministry of Economy and Qatar's relevant body for tourism, a memorandum of understanding in the field of education between the two governments, a memorandum of cooperation in the health-care sector as well as cooperation accord in the sphere of culture.
Furthermore, an agreement for cooperation and information exchange between the Macedonian Information Agency and the Qatar News Agency, a memorandum of understanding between the Macedonian Economic Chamber, the Association of Chambers of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce of Northwestern Macedonia and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as an agreement establishing common business council will be signed.In 2003, Qatar provided financial and political support for the summit of SEE heads of state entitled "Dialogue Among Civilisations", which was initiated by late president Boris Trajkovski.
Macedonia will once again host the summit in 2013, ten years after it was held for the first time.
Macedonia was one of the first countries in the region that opened a diplomatic and consular office in Doha in 2005. Interest has been shown for opening Qatar's embassy in Macedonia in due time, Ivanov's cabinet has said.
Ivanov and Al Thani have held talks previously in 2009 in New York and in 2010 in Doha.
The Qatari delegation will be made up of 100 members, including two members of the royal family and 12 ministers.
During Qatar Emir's two-day visit, the citizens of Skopje will be faced with traffic restrictions.

Macedonia marks 70th anniversary of Anti fascist Uprising

2011-10-12T15:00:00.001+02:00

Macedonia marks Tuesday the 70. anniversary from the beginning of Anti-Fascist Uprising and the National Liberation Struggle.
The Macedonian people responded to the fascist occupation by organizing in small groups at first, in order to avoid detection. At that time, the first sabotage units were created in Kumanovo and Prilep, with their operations starting on October 11, marking the beginning of the Macedonian people's uprising.
In the course of 1942, the partisan movement was also in ascent. Nine detachments were founded acting on a large territory. During the winter and the spring of 1944, the Macedonian Army took important military operations (the February March, the Spring Offensive), causing enormous casualties and damages to the Bulgarian occupiers.
The network of government bodies in Macedonia was spread during 1944, over 800 in number. The preparations for convocation of Anti-Fascist Assembly of Macedonia's National Liberation (ASNOM) were taken by the General Staff and the Initiative Board.
Thus, by the end of the war, the Macedonian National Liberation Army numbered over 56,000 soldiers, with approximately 25,000 victims in this part of Macedonia.
The liberation of Macedonia by its own forces was an outstanding military and political accomplishment of the Macedonian people, and at the same time was a significant contribution by a small people to the anti-fascist struggle in the Balkans and Europe.
In the past 20 years, along with the overcoming of the 2001 conflict and the Framework Agreement that emerged from it, Macedonia, which is full-fledged member of the United Nations, now walks on the road to Euro-Atlantic integration.
On occasion of the holiday, October 11 Award for outstanding achievements in the fields of science, art, economy and other areas of public interest will be presented at the Macedonian Parliament. This year's award recipients in the field of culture are ballet artist Tanja Vujisic-Todorovska, writer Resul Sabani and actor Petar Temlkovski, along with advisor-librarian Mile Boseski in the field of protecting the values of cultural-historic heritage, and businessmen Tihomir Cepreganov in the economic sector.
Governmental and parliamentary delegations will lay flowers at monuments of national heroes in Skopje, Prilep and Kumanovo.
A formal academy was held in the Skopje-based Army Hall on Monday evening, addressed by President Gjorge Ivanov.Moreover, reconstructed building of memorial museum "11 October 1941" opened in Prilep.