MOTORWAY SECTION KATLANOVO-VELES RECONSTRUCTED

The State Roads Agency will put into use Friday reconstructed section Katlanovo-Veles within motorway Alexander the Great.

The 16-month overhaul of the 27,5km-long section included investments of approximately EUR 7 million.

Construction company "Granit" completed the works.

The reconstructed 27km-long section Katlanovo-Veles, part of motorway Alexander the Great, was put into use on Friday.

The EUR 7,3 million investment is part of the Government project for infrastructure modernization in the country.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said section Katlanovo-Veles is one of the most frequent roads in Macedonia, reconstructed for the last time in 1985.

He announced that motorway section Veles-Skopje would be reconstructed in 2013, whereas the project on construction of highway Demir Kapija-Smokvica is ongoing.

"We will continue to build and allocate significant Budget funds for such capital projects", stressed PM Gruevski.

Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski stressed a project for overhaul of 13 bridges along Corridor 10 should be launched in 2013.

"European funds have been secured for rehabilitation of road Corridor 10 sections. Priority has been given to section Veles-Katlanovo, with reconstruction set to begin in the first half of 2013", added Janakieski.

Construction company "Granit" worked on section Katlanovo-Veles in the past 16 months.

FOG HINDERS AIRLINE TRAFFIC

Poor weather conditions hinder airline traffic, also slowing down railway and bus transport.

Several flights departing from Skopje-based airport "Alexander the Great" have been cancelled due to fog.

Traffic at motorways and regional roads is slow due to rainfalls and snowfalls in the morning.

Heavy vehicles are banned at Gostivar-Kicevo road section through Straza mountain slope due to show.

Bus and railway traffic is ongoing with delays.

Bitola coldest city with -19

Bitola, Tetovo and Berovo Thursday morning are the coldest cities in Macedonia. The temperature measured at 7a.m. in Bitola has been -19C and -17C in Tetovo and Berovo.

In Skopje the measured temperatures early Thursday have been -16C, -12C in Kriva Palanka, Stip, Prilep, Kumanovo and Mavrovo, -11C in Strumica and Krusevo, -10C in Demir Kapija and Debar, -9C in Ohrid, Vinica and Kavadarci, -6C in Pretor, -3C in Dojran and -2C in Gevgelija.

Hydrometeorological Service reports that arctic temperatures will remain all day long.

Skopje gets Xmas decorations

HEAVY VEHICLES BANNED AT SEVERAL ROAD SECTIONS

Ban for heavy vehicles has been introduced early Wednesday at road sections Mavrovo-Debar, Gostivar-Kicevo, Debar-Struga, and mountain saddles Straza and Gjavato due to snow.

Flow of traffic on other motorways and regional roads is normal without any prohibition or restriction for all types of motor vehicles on wet lanes. There are snowfalls at mountain saddles Straza, Mavrovo, Preseka, Bukovo and Gjavato.

There are no delays in railway and airline traffic.

Top officials congratulate St.Kliment Ohridski holiday

Saint Clement of Ohrid.

"The holiday dedicated to St.Kliment Ohridski, founder of the Ohrid Archbishopric, founder of the first Slavic university, and generator of Slavic literacy and culture, is an event exceeding national boundaries, having enormous significance for European culture and civilization. The vision of St.Kliment and his teachers, the holy Ss.Kiril and Metodij (Ss.Cyril and Methodius) over bringing nations together and building a prosperous, free and humane world is placed in the foundations of human civilization", reads the note.

According to him, the work of St.Kliment should be a guiding principle ahead of new challenges, giving us spiritual strength and wisdom to come out stronger and more noble.

Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski also sent greetings, saying the holiday marked St.Kliment's work.

"St.Kliment created and Ohrid Archbishopric and the Cyrillic letter, which represent an invaluable gift to the Macedonian national and church history, but his work also continued in other parts of the world, where he has left deep traces", says Veljanoski.

He urged for the holiday to represent an incentive for mutual understanding, mutual respect and assistance.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski congratulated the holiday, saying St. Kliment Ohridski is one of the greatest scholars in the history of Macedonia's church and nation.

"His work as scholar, writer, enlightener and bishop set the foundations of our spiritual education and culture, and of our holy Macedonian Orthodox Church - the Ohrid Archbishopric," Gruevski says in his note.

Our obligation, he adds, is to continue on the road he had set and by hard, dedicated work to meet the needs of citizens by advancing the education and culture, guided by and applying the system of values.

Skopje from the Bird's eye view

Indian Businessman submits plan to build world class Tourist resort in Ohrid

"Saharayan Makeeduniya" is a project which will be realised in Macedonia by the Indian company "Sahara India Pariwar". A proposal for the investment was submitted to Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski and Vice PM Zoran Stavreski on Nov. 20.

"It's our proud privilege that after a few months of brainstorming we have put the vision of our chairman Subrata Roy Sahara for a world class destination in the City of Ohrid in Macedonia together and are presenting it to the Macedonian Premier and the ministers of his government. The project is christened as 'Saharayan Makeeduniya' and is developed across 240 hectares around the Lake Ohrid, consisting of world class hotels, casinos, residential and recreational facilities and an international standard gold golf course," reads a written statement by Subrata Roy's son, Seemanto Roy - executive director and head of the company's international business department.

The project has been designed by Atkins - a multinational engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services company headquartered in the United Kingdom. It envisages the construction of a recreational facilities, an exclusive spa retreat, marina hotel, lake side entertainment hub, floating hotel and casino...

The project has undergone a complete environmental study.

Macedonia wineries to present their products in Slovenia

Macedonian wineries Tikves, Skovin, Bovin and Kamnik - members of the association "Wines from Macedonia" - will present their products on November 22-23 at the most prestigious Wine & Gastronomy festival in Ljubljana.

This year the event will bring together 130 producers from Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Croatia and Macedonia, the Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion says.

The presentation of Macedonian wineries is organized by the country's embassy in Slovenia and Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion.

"The aim of being present in such events is to bring the Macedonian wine on EU markets in line with the marketing strategy for exporting wine in the Union. The strategy, designed by the wineries, considers the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Switzerland as top markets for the Macedonian wine," the Agency says.

Macedonian - Russian Business Forum

Macedonia’s Economic Chamber and the Macedonian-Russian Chamber of Commerce organise Monday a Macedonian-Russian business forum in an effort  bilateral business contacts to be established with Russian companies from several sectors including agriculture, trade, import of goods, food industry, etc.

Businessmen from the Russian region of Tambov are paying a visit to Macedonia to establish business contacts with Macedonian companies.

The Tambov region is a federal subject in Russia, located some 460 kilometers south of the capital. Its administrative center is the city of Tambov. 1,091,994 inhabitants live there according to the 2010 Census.

Austrians to build plant for Railway Sleepers in Kavadarci

Austrians will invest in Kavadarci in railway sleepers and electrical equipment, announced late today Aleksandar Panov, mayor of Kavadarci.

The plant will be the only one of its kind in SE Europe.

- The plant will serve the wider region. This is an Austrian investment that will employ about 300 people. The plant will be located in the industrial zone near “IGM” and “Kabranov packaging.” This is one more investment in a series of investments that come to our town and I am happy that Kavadarci’s citizens will have the opportunities to find more employment, said Panov.

The Mayor referred to the large number of employements expected in the municipality of Kavadarci, thanks to a few other foreign investments. Some of the employments have already been realized.

Winter Equipment mandatory for all vehicles starting today

As of Thursday, winter equipment in vehicles is mandatory, regardless of weather, says the Auto-Moto Union of Macedonia.

Tire chains are mandatory for all vehicles, while buses and cargo vehicles are also obliged to have a shovel.

The winter equipment is obligatory until 15 March 2013.

Mak Railway System next in line for upgrade

Works for overhaul of Corridor 10 railroad sections Kumanovo-Tabanovce and Miravci-Smokvica were launched at the Kumanovo railway station of Saturday.

The activities are part of the Government's project for reconstruction of Corridor 10, 54km-long sections, worth EUR 17,6 million.

Besides the Kumanovo-Tabanovce and Miravci-Smokvica sections, the project also includes railroad Nogaevci-Negotino.

"This reconstruction will significantly improve the railway's operations, increase safety of this type of transport, as well as enable increased speeds of trains up to 120kph", said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at the event marking the start of reconstruction works.

German consortium "Wiebe & Alpine" is the contractor of the works, due to be completed in one year.

According to PM Gruevski, preparatory activities for reconstruction of railroad section Bitola-Kremenica, which is currently not in use, have also begun, which would result in improvement of possibilities for transport between Macedonia and Greece.

"Its reconstruction is significant for industrial zone 'Zabeni' near Bitola, but also meets requirements by the business community for establishment of a railway link between the Pelagonija region and Greece's north", he added.

The Corridor 10 overhaul process also includes railroad sections Kumanovo-Deljadrovce and Dracevo-Veles, along with the reconstruction of larger railway stations.

"Besides investments in new and reconstruction of old railroad sections, we are planning the procurement of new train compositions and cars, improvements in safety and signal system at railroads, as well as other projects that clearly demonstrate the better tomorrow of Macedonia's railway transport", underlined PM Gruevski. 

Bitola joins regional project on protection of cultural heritage

Bitola with its old bazaar is one of the seven sites in Southeast Europe included in the Cherplan project, which aims at improving cultural heritage by planning the environment and management. The project is supported by UNESCO and financed by the European Union's IPA funds.

EUR 124.000 have been provided to realise Cherplan in Bitola and it is one of the four projects implemented in Macedonia with respect to cultural heritage protection with IPA funds.

Cherplan's (www.cherplan.eu) long-term goal is to enable sustainable development in historical towns, stimulation of social-economic development, improvement of the quality of living and opening of new jobs.

The project, planned to be closed in February 2014, will be promoted in 2014 together with the projects conducted by the remaining six countries - Aquileia (Italy), Berat (Albania), Cetinje (Montenegro), Hallstatt (Austria), Idrija (Slovenia) and Naupactus (Greece).

Bitola and the town's old bazaar have been proposed by experts on protection of cultural heritage. It has been concluded that Bitola with the old bazaar is the most adequate site for Cherplan.

Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska told a press conference on Wednesday that Cherplan was a regional example of establishing cooperation between cultural institutions focused on sustainable use of the cultural heritage and its significance in the country's social and economic development.

"Activities in Macedonia are focused on the important landmark, Bitola's old bazaar, which have witnessed the fulfilled business and cultural life of the town of consuls. The project's goal is to revitalise the bazaar in Bitola. A strategy of reviving the Bitola old bazaar with an action and business plan and a management plan on protecting the environment will be prepared in the future," Kanceska-Milevska said.

Macedonia's benefits for automotive industry presented in Germany

Macedonia's investment opportunities in the automotive sector were presented at a stand within this year's Berlin auto show "Automobilwoche", held November 5-7.

Minister for Foreign Investments Bill Pavleski and Directorate for Technological-Industrial Development Zones (DTIDZ) director Viktor Mizo took part at the event.

More than 300 delegates from the automotive industry in Europe and the world attended the event, whereas Macedonian officials met with representatives of numerous companies interested in Macedonia's investment benefits.

Automobilwoche annually brings together the most influential companies from the global automotive industry, said the DTIDZ in a press release.

Macedonia Timeless with new video

Interesting photos of Macedonia

The Petersko (Petridis) Lake in North Greece, with the Kozhuf mountain, Pelagonia plan (centred), Tikves vallery (center right), Ohrid and Prespa lakes (center left).

The great Pelagonia plain, photo taken at an altitude of 38.800 meters above Salonica.

38.8km away from the earth.
From left to right: Ohrid & Prespa lakes, Pelagonia plain, Nidze & Kozhuf mountains, S'botsko (Arridea) plain in North Greece, Tikvesh lake...

Doiran Lake from 20km altitude :)

 This photos are part of the Slaros Project.
More at: http://facebook.com/slaros.project

Screening of The Third Half at American Film Market

"The Third Half" by Darko Mitevrski will be screened Sunday at the Wilshire Screening Room in Beverly Hills as part of the American Film Market and so called Oscar Screenings.

These screenings are organised by the European Film Promotion and the EU's Media Programme.

"The Macedonian Film Fund, as a member of this organisation, every year submits Macedonia's Oscar contender and takes part in the organisation of these screenings in a bid to enable the film to be presented before members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and interested buyers of the American Film Market," the Film Fund has said.

Darko Mitrevski's film is one of the ten European candidates vying to be nominated for the Oscar for best foreign language feature, which will be showcased at a special screening in Los Angeles. These films are screened at the American Film Market on November 1-7.

Trpceski puts Macedonia on BBC Music pages

Piano virtuoso Simon Trpceski has put Macedonia at the pages of the November issue of world-renowned magazine for classical music "BBC Music" under title "Macedonian Magic: We Visit the Balkan City of Skopje".

In the framework of its cycle "Musical Destinations" and inspired by Macedonian pianist Trpceski, journalist Jessica Duchen paid a visit to Skopje, or as she calls it in the text title "Ancient Heart of the Balkans". In the subtitle, she says the Macedonian capital is where, thanks to pianist Simon Trpieski, "an exciting classical music scene is beginning to take shape".

"Macedonia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, is best known as the birthplace of Alexander the Great. But it's also famous for having suffered a devastating earthquake in 1963. In Macedonia, though, the deeper you dig, the more there is to find, in every sense. Its soul remains very much intact, historic, atmospheric and fascinating - and its forays into classical music are becoming more exciting by the year. This owes much to the influence of one crucial firebrand: the pianist Simon Trpceski, who at 33 has already been the country's chief cultural ambassador for over a decade. He has made it his mission to put Macedonia on the cultural map, working with his management in London as well as with the local culture and arts organisation KulturOp to raise standards of both performance and operation", says Duchen.

According to her, the effects are tangible. Thanks to sponsorship from local businesses, the city now has a Steinway concert grand piano and state-of-the-art equipment to transport it. And international orchestras have begun to visit Skopje at last: the Bolshoi Orchestra was first, in 2009, and a year later the London Philharmonic under Vladimir Jurowski became the first major British orchestra to play there.

"I believe that those concerts were one of the reasons behind the project to build a new concert hall which will be the home of the Macedonian Philharmonic," says the pianist.

Duchen refers to the Ohrid Summer Festival, Skopje Summer, Skopje Jazz Festival, Macedonian Philharmonic, Macedonian folk music, Macedonian composers, churches, the Old Skopje Bazaar, Kale fortress, archaeological sites, Kokino observatory etc.

"Macedonians love good, fresh, local food and wine- the country is well suited to vineyards. And it's no exaggeration to say that Skopje's welcome is among the warmest I've experienced, even in chilly December", concludes Duchen.

TeknoHose Opens Macedonian Plant

Italian company “TeknoHose” will put into use Monday its plant in Macedonia, located in Technological Industrial Development Zone (TDIZ) Skopje 1. The investment stands at EUR 10 million, with the plant creating 150 jobs.

The plant will produce high pressure reinforced rubber hoses, used in construction, automotive industry etc. Output will be distributed to markets in the countries of Southeast Europe and Russia.

Company “TeknoHose”, registered in Macedonia under name “Vitek Macedonia”, is a member of Italy’s Vitillo Group. It purchased an existing facility in TIDZ Skopje 1, which has been completely built and adapted.

The company plans to start the construction of a second facility in 2013 for production of hydraulic couplings for reinforced hoses.

Wizz Air inaugurates flights from Skopje to six European destinations

As of Sunday, Hungarian low-cost airline "Wizz Air" will start to operate flights from Skopje to six European destinations, subsidized by the Macedonian Government.

The first Skopje-Eindhoven flight will take off today and operate twice a week. It is also the case with the flights to  Milan, Malmo, Munich and Dortmund. The flight to Basel is available  three times a week.

In line with a three-year agreement, the Government allocates Denar 306 million (EUR 5 million) in Wizz Air subsidies.

According to preliminary announcements from Wizz Air, the new flights will cost the company US$ 80 million, accompanied by the opening of 300 jobs.

The airline is mulling the introduction of direct flights to Brussels, Rome and Barcelona in 2013, depending on the needs of Macedonian passengers.

Expected effects from the Government subsidizing are at least 120,000 new passengers in the first year, rising to 135,000 in the second, up to 150,000 in the third.

The figures are solid indicator for the good strategy of this Government, Vice-Premier Vladimir Pesevski said at at the inaugurating ceremony on Sunday.

"We expect a larger inflow of tourists to Macedonia next year as a direct result of our investment in low-cost air traffic," Presevski said.

Wizz Air Group Executive Vice President John Stephenson said he was very happy that today the company was opening its 16-low cost base in Skopje.

"Since our announcement for the new six attractive destinations, over 25.000 customers, from Macedonia and countries we are linking Skopje to, have booked tickets, raising the total number of Wizz Air passengers to more than 100.000 from the launching of our operations in the country less than a year ago," Stephenson said.

He expects for the number of passengers to reach 300.000 in one year-period. Stephenson also extended gratitude to the Macedonian Government for its support of the promotion of tourism by low-cost flights.

"We are celebrating today's opening of the base by offering tickets at favorable prices of only Denar 550 (about EUR 9) on wizzair.com," Stephenson said.

Wizz Air is the largest low-fare, low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe and operates a fleet of 38 Airbus A320 aircraft from 16 bases with 245 routes connecting 78 destinations across 27 countries.

Inauguration of direct Skopje-Dubai flight

FLYDUBAI.

Macedonia has gotten its first link to the Middle East on Monday. Starting from today FlyDubai launches two Skopje-Dubai flights per week, namely on Monday and Thursday.

Skopje is FlyDubai's regional center for this part of the world.

"We are certain that the Macedonian route will be successful," low-cost carrier CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said today at a press conference.

The new line will bring UAE tourists to Macedonia, who wish to get familiar with the country, he said.

"By adding Skopje as our destination, we connect UAE with yet another market that has been underserved thus far. This move demonstrates our commitment to the region and  offers more choice to our customers, increasing international travel options and avenues for trade," the CEO said.

The flights offers a network of 150 destinations to the citizens of Macedonia, including Australia and Middle East. The ticket price for Skopje-Dubai flight is at EUR 390.

This project will be beneficial for all involved parties, namely FlyDubai, Macedonia's Government and TAV Airports Holding, TAV Macedonia Director Murat Ornekol said.

"Launching of the direct Skopje-Dubai flight will be rather beneficial for the Macedonian Diaspora in Australia. It is also the case for citizens of Macedonia and their neighbours, who may now fly directly to Dubai from the Skopje Airport - Alexander the Great," Ornekol said.

Low-cost carriers, such as FlyDubai, offer flights at substantially lower prices in comparison to regular airliners, Minister of Transport and Communication Mile Janakieski said.

"Regions included in their network very often see swift economic development," he added.

Founded in March 2008, Flydubai is the first low fare airline based in Dubai with the fastest growth rate among the world's newly established airlines. Since the start of operations in June 2009, the company has developed a network of over 50 destinations in the Persian Gulf countries, Middle East, North Africa, Indian subcontinent, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe and a fleet of 26 aircrafts.

"The Third Half" to be screened in Los Angeles in November

"The Third Half" by Darko Mitrevski is one of the ten Oscar contenders from non-English speaking countries which will be screened in Los Angeles in early November at the American Film Market.

Mitrevski's box office hit will be screened on Nov. 4 at the Wilshire Screening Room in Beverly Hills.

"These special screenings aim at providing publicity and seeking US distributors for the ten European movies. 'The Third Half' in the running to be shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film will be screened before distributors and international buyers as well as before members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences," the Film Fund of Macedonia has said.

The screenings are organised by the European Film Promotion and the EU's Media Programme.

A record number of films (71) are vying this year to scoop the Oscar for best foreign language feature. Five films will be selected as official nominations, which are going to be announced on Jan. 10. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on Feb. 24.

15.000 arrangements for Macedonia sold to Austrian tourists for next spring

 Fifteen thousand travel arrangements and eight Vienna-Ohrid charter flights have been sold for next spring.

"MacSun-Travel" - an Austrian/Macedonian travel agency - announced the figures to the Macedonian ambassador to Austria, Gjorgi Filipov at a Vienna fair of tour operators, where Macedonia presented its tourist potentials.

The arrangements sold for the spring of 2013 are three times more than the arrangements realised this year.

Macedonia is also included in the catalogues of the Austrian company "KLUG touristik GmbH". Its owner has told the ambassador that the decision to offer Macedonia as a tourist destination had been made following the interest of Austrian tourists and the positive experiences cooperating with "MacSun Travel".

The event was intended solely for business partners, tour operators and hotel managers.

Diaspora to establish investment fund in Macedonia

Mike Zafirovski - Chairman of the
Macedonia 2025 Board of Directors.

Macedonia 2025 and SEAF will establish a new investment capital fund, focused on growth of the Macedonian enterprises.

The establishment of SEAF Macedonia I Fund was announced Friday by the organisation of the Global Investment Forum, taking place in Ohrid.

In addition to investing, the members of Macedonia 2025 - a group of successful entrepreneurs and CEOs of international companies with Macedonian origin and living in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia - will offer to Macedonian businessmen mentorship and access to markets.

"The fund is first of its kind where the diaspora is a catalyst and leading investor putting an emphasis on the fatherland and the region. It's our great pleasure to collaborate with SEAF in an attempt to create a successful fund and to pave the way for new funds. Our board of directors is thrilled with the idea of helping SEAF in the development of business leaders and successful businesses in Macedonia  and allowing access to our global network of business connections," stated Mike Zafirovski - Chairman of the Macedonia 2025 Board of Directors.

"Our goal is to spread as a network and to help our homeland. We expect nothing in return, only pride. We hope Macedonia will become a more prosperous country," Zafirovski said.

According to Deputy PM and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski, thus far the diaspora was not present with investments. "However, it provided logistics to the Government's efforts in organising investment forums, establishing contacts with other companies willing to invest, for instance the plant of Kemet Electronics, which was inaugurated yesterday by Mike Zafirovski."

"There has been similar support, but the announced fund will enable finances to be invested in new companies starting their business," Stavreski noted.

He added that the Ohrid summit was an exceptional chance to compare positions and viewpoints on investing in Macedonia and businessmen to be informed about the investment potentials.

At summit's opening, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski outlining the Government's activities in search of foreign investments and those that had been already launched, said that Macedonia was already considered as an attractive investment destination, seen by international companies as "an important gate toward Europe."

"We will continue our efforts to attract foreign investors and your help, support and idea will be more than welcome," Gruevski said adding the Government would resume maintaining sound economic policies and implementing further reforms.

SEAF establishes the fund as a result of its first successful fund - SEAF Macedonia, which was the first Macedonian venture fund that supported companies such as Tinex, On.Net, Krug (Dnevnik) and Login. SEAF chairman and co-founder Hubertus van der Vaart has stated: "SEAF believes that the Macedonian entrepreneurs are one of the best in the world. We are delighted at the idea of supporting a new group of entrepreneurs together with Macedonia 2025 and promoting economic growth and development in one of the most beautiful countries in the world."

Conclusions will be drawn at the forum containing recommendations and expectations from top business leaders in Macedonia and the diaspora, focusing on supporting, encouraging and improving investment efforts in Macedonia.

The summit, which brings together 350 participants, is held under the motto "Discovering Opportunities: Leveraging Business Diaspora to promote trade, investments and economic growth".

Ohrid hosts Macedonia Global Investment Summit

Ohrid, Macedonia.

Strengthening of cooperation between the national business community and the diaspora is the goal of Macedonia Global Investment Summit, which begins in Ohrid on Thursday, organized by "Macedonia 2025".

The summit, which brings together over 200 participants, is held under slogan "Discovering Opportunities: Leveraging Business Diaspora to promote trade, investments and economic growth".

The plenary sessions and working panels will include businessmen from Macedonia and the diaspora, Government officials and leaders of renowned international companies.

Participants will debate on global political outlook and economic prospects; doing business in Macedonia; investment climate in Macedonia: a perspective of existing FDIs; globally competitive Macedonian products: successful business models of cooperation between Macedonian and diaspora companies; financing investment projects, from micro finance to financing big projects; leveraging diaspora to create economic opportunities.

Several competitive industries have been identified, such as infrastructure, energy and natural resources; information and computer technology; manufacturing, agribusiness and food processing; real estate, construction and tourism; financial services, and many more.

Summit conclusions will contain recommendations and expectations from business leaders from Macedonia and the diaspora towards supporting, urging and enhancing investment efforts in the country.

Organization "Macedonia 2025" was established by renowned members of the Macedonian diaspora in Crown Point, Indiana in 2007. It opened the Skopje office in 2011. Macedonia 2025's mission is to assist in positioning Macedonia as a preferred destination for foreign direct investment, promote transparency within government and corporate practices, and inspire future business leaders in Macedonia.

300 Foreign Students enroll at Ss Cyril and Methodius University to study Macedonian

300 foreign students have enrolled at Macedonia's biggest university Ss. Cyril and Methodius in a program to study Macedonian language from September 2012 through May 2013.

Macedonian geographical dialects in the Balkans.

Should they pass the exam, they will be granted a certificate which will allow them to enroll into any of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius colleges for the next academic year.

This program is designed to prepare students in learning Macedonian so they can later enroll and be successful in their studies.

The 300 foreign students mostly come from the European continent: Turkey, Serbia, Bulgaria, Holland, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia etc.

Five years without Tose

Musical and sports events will mark Tuesday the fifth anniversary from the death of Macedonia's pop icon Tose Proeski.

Tose's hits will be shown on a big screen at national arena "Philip II" in the evening, preceding and during the halftime of football match Macedonia-Serbia.

Special programme "Forever in Our Hearts" will be broadcast at the Macedonian Television following the match, with Macedonian singers performing Tose's songs.

Marathon runners, who started their race in Nova Gradiska - Croatia, should arrive in Krusevo today. The 4. Memorial International Volleyball Tournament was also held in Tose's hometown.

His Memoriam Home has been visited by 180,000 people during the 1,5 year from its opening.

His fans organized the "Starry Sky" on October 5, marking the anniversary from his final concert. The events also have a humanitarian character, highlighting Tose's greatness as humanist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Ten days ago the 'Tose Fan Forum' organized the traditional blood donation campaign, whereas the Red Cross of RM will launch today the campaign on the International Day against Hunger - October 16.

On 16 October 2007, Tose Proeski died in a car accident on the Zagreb–Lipovac highway near Nova Gradiska, Croatia. He was a passenger along with his manager Ljiljana Petrovic in a Volkswagen Touareg driven by Georgij Georgijevski. The Touareg crashed into the back of a truck and then into the median barrier, killing Tose instantly. Of the other two passengers, only the driver suffered serious injuries. October 17 was pronounced a national day of mourning in Macedonia. After his death, the Government honored him with title "Meritorius Citizen of Macedonia".

Tehnoma 2012 opens at Skopje Fair

Two hundred exhibitors and 600 companies from Macedonia and abroad are to be presented at the 38. International Trade Fair of Metallurgy, Electronics, Non-Metals and Build and Construction, Security and Protection - Tehnoma 2012, held on October 16-20 at Skopje Fair.

The 12th International Fair of Handcrafts and Small-Scale Industry and the 32nd International Exhibition of Inventions - Makinova are taking place simultaneously with Tehnoma.

Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Abdilaqim Ademi and the Skopje Fair director, Gvido Omladic declared the fair open at a ceremony on Tuesday.

Speaking about the importance of the fair, minister Ademi said it represented a great opportunity for accomplishing international trade, especially in the field of energy efficient and environmental technologies.

"I firmly believe that small and medium enterprises from Macedonia and the region will successfully use the chance to establish business contacts and regional networking and to attract possible investors," Ademi stated.

Tehnoma, he added, is recognised as a promoter of the development of industrial economy in the region.

15 companies from Greece and Slovenia, 20 firms from Croatia and 10 from Bulgaria will hold national presentations in the course of Tehnoma 2012.

Adam of Govrlevo exhibition opens in Ljubljana

An exhibition "Adam of Govrlevo" will open Monday evening in Ljubljana-based cultural and congress centre "Cankarjev dom."

The exhibition, which is organised by the Museum of the City of Skopje, "Cankarjev dom" and the Institute for Mediterranean Heritage, Koper, will run until Nov. 16.

"Adam оf Govrlevo" іs а Neolithic sculpture found by archaeologist Milos Bilbija оf the Skopje City Museum. More than 6,000 years old, it is the oldest artefact found in the Republic of Macedonia and among the oldest in the world.

Nine Macedonian companies in SeeNews TOP 100 SEE 2012

Macedonia  has nine entrants in this year SeeNews TOP 100 SEE chart - the only annual ranking of the top companies, banks and insurers in the region of Southeast Europe.

The chart includes Okta Refinery at number 59, three Macedonian banks, i.e. Komercijalna Banka at number 56, Stopanska Banka AD Skopje at 59 and NLB Tutunska Banka at 64.

Macedonia has five representatives in the TOP 100 Insurers ranking for 2011, unchanged from the previous year. Triglav Osiguruvanje AD (former Vardar Skopije AD) is the country's top insurer at the 64th spot in the ranking for 2011. The other Macedonian insurers on the list are Eurolink Insurance and Sava Osiguruvanje AD (former Sava Tabak AD) - 83 and 84, QBE-86 and AD Insurance Policy Skopje-98.

The best SEE company in 2012 is Romania's OMV Petrom S.A.; Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) - the Romanian Commercial Bank tops the list of banks, while the SEE leader of insurers is Zavarovalnica Triglav from Slovenia.  

The fifth edition of the SeeNews TOP 100 SEE was released on October 11, 2012. The annual ranking (www.top100.seenews.com) includes the best performing companies registered in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia.

"For the first time we have included research on Turkey and Greece, setting the scene for companies from the two countries to enter the TOP 100 rankings in the future," says editor-in-chief Mira Karadzhova.

The edition features three major charts - TOP 100 Companies, TOP 100 Banks and TOP 100 Insurers, as well as additional rankings, company and country profiles, interviews and feature stories on major events and trends in Southeast Europe (SEE) in 2011.

The SEE economies set out on the path of recovery last year, trying to beat the challenge of sluggish demand for their exports in the eurozone, their main trading partner. The performance indicators of the companies in the SeeNews TOP 100 SEE rankings give clear evidence that albeit difficult, their progress is steady.

SeeNews (www.seenews.com) is the business news and market intelligence supplier which publishes the annual ranking of the biggest companies in Southeast Europe.

Lazy Holidays

The film was made in the town of Ohrid in Macedonia (Ohrid). In our travels we bring a few photos;). The best way to preserve memories is shooting video. In this way, better get to know the country and people, we establish direct contact easier. We remember an elderly couple, resulting in a small shop with regional products, Sanja sculpture, street vendors corn, cotton candy, and ... hairdressers, who opened their bets after dark.
But Ohrid is primarily a city full of monuments which have been inscribed in 1980 on UNESCO World Heritage List.
In the film, left for the church of St. Sophia, in which are preserved frescoes of the eleventh century, the ancient theater, the church of St. John at Kaneo of the fourteenth century, the church of St. Panteleimon, the walk ends at the fortress of Tsar Samuel, resulting in the X-XI centuries. However, the city has much more to offer. With beautiful Ohrydu soon show you a few more production. Stay tuned!

Domino's Pizza opens in Macedonia

Domino's Pizza has opened its first store in Macedonia, A second store in the brand new Skopje City Mall is also nearing completion. The company's management has extensive experience that makes it well-positioned to develop Domino's into a leading brand in Macedonia. Domino's Pizza now operates in over 70 markets worldwide.

Domino's Pizza new logo.

Domino's Pizza the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, has opened its first store in Macedonia, with the promise of hot, delicious pizza for the residents of the capital city of Skopje. The grand opening event included many prominent individuals in the local community, including U.S. Ambassador Paul Wolhers, who got the first pizza straight from the oven.

Master Franchisee Paul Tsouloufris worked together with three partners – Nebojsa Stameski, Boban Angelovski and Sasha Georgievski – to get the business up and running. A second store in the brand new Skopje City Mall is also nearing completion. The company's management has extensive experience that makes it well-positioned to develop Domino's into a leading brand in Macedonia.

"I am proud of the team that got this store up and running and we're pleased to be the first store to open with the new Domino's logo as well," said Tsouloufris. "We are looking forward to providing this community with hot, fresh pizza to their doorstep as we work to become the leading pizza delivery restaurant in Macedonia."

Domino's Pizza now operates in over 70 markets worldwide, with nearly half of its global retail sales coming from international stores, generating roughly a third of its operating income. 

More from the Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/Dominosmk

11 Oct - MACEDONIAN Anti-fascist Uprising day

The Republic of Macedonia marks an anniversary since the start of the Day of People's Uprising against Fascism and National Liberation War, on October 11th 1941.

The Macedonian people responded to the fascist occupation by organizing an insurrection. At that time the first sabotage units were created. Kumanovo and Prilep detachments were founded, their actions started on October 11 being the beginning of the Macedonian people uprising. During 1942 the partisan movement were also in ascent. Nine detachments were founded acting on a large territory.

During the winter and the spring in 1944, the Macedonian Army has taken important military actions (the February march, the Spring offensive), causing great damage to the Bulgarian occupiers.

During the period of 1944 the network of governmental organs in Macedonia has been spread, over 800 in number. The preparations for convocation of the ASNOM have been taken by the Headquarters General and the Initiative Board.

Thus, by the end of the war, the Macedonian National Liberation Army numbered over 56,000 soldiers, and this part of Macedonia alone provided about 25,000 victims.

The liberation of Macedonia by its own forces was an outstanding military and political accomplishment of the Macedonian people and at the same time it was a significant contribution by a small people to the anti-fascist struggle in the Balkans and Europe.

On holiday's occasion, October 11 Award for special and eminent achievements in the areas of science, culture, art and journalism was presented Sunday at the Macedonian Parliament.

Fresh flowers at partisan graves and tomb of General Mihajlo Apostolski.

Macedonia a crossroad for international companies to enter European markets, says FinMin

Macedonia is a fast-growing economy at the crossroads between East and West, North and South, which mitigates the work of businessmen operating in Macedonia to export goods in any European country.

This is how Deputy PM and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski presented Macedonia as a favourable business destination before Indian companies at a business forum in Chennai.

"Macedonia is a fast-growing economy compared to other countries in Europe, which means we are comparing the country with other European countries with a growth rate of one to two percent. Prior to the crisis, Macedonia registered an average growth rate of 5-6% and at the same time it coped with the crisis more easily than other European countries. Growth rate in 2010 and 2011 was 3% owing to export, which is increasing by 25 to 30% at an annual level. This is a result of the foreign direct investments i.e. companies that have opened their own businesses in the free economic zones," FinMin Stavreski said at the business forum.

He underscored that Macedonia was a candidate country for EU membership. "This fact is important for every businessmen, because it provides a high level of stability and predictability of the legislation, policies and regulations, which are crucial for the business itself."

Chennai, which is the fifth Indian city where the Macedonian government delegation presented the country's investment opportunities at business events, is ranked in the Forbes' Top Ten Fastest-Growing Cities list.

Chennai's metropolitan area is taking full advantage of India's soaring industrial sector, particularly the booming automobile sector. Electronics, led by Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, Sony and Foxconn, are also booming. Chennai is home to India's second-largest entertainment industry, behind Mumbai.

Tuesday's presentation was held in cooperation with India's largest chamber of commerce CII - Confederation of Indian Industry.

The government delegation, also including Minister for Foreign Investments Bill Pavleski and Directorate for Technological-Industrial Development Zones director Viktor Mizo, has already held presentations in New Delhi, Bangalore, Trivandrum and Hyderabad.

Over 35 events held on 8th White Night in Skopje

Skopje hosted on Saturday evening the eight "White Night", which was launched by Skopje mayor Koce Trajanovski. He opened an exhibition "'60s: World, Skopje and Its Citizens" in the Museum of the City of Skopje.

"White Night this evening brings an explosion of aesthetic and creative energy, which I believe will leave no one indifferent while visiting the city square, the Skopje Old Bazaar and other cultural institutions," Trajanovski said.

The main event of the evening was on 'Macedonia' square, where local artists, including actors, choreographers, directors, designers, acrobats, musicians staged a multimedia performance "The Place I Am At".

Over 35 events - exhibits, film and video art screenings, concerts, literary readings, theater performances and sporting manifestations took place on more than 20 locations across the capital.

This year's "White Night" had a retrospective theme to present the Skopje art scene in the past 50 years.

Macedonia's investment opportunities promoted before Indian businessmen

A government delegation led by Vice PM and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski is paying a visit to India, where Macedonia's investment opportunities are presented before businessmen.

The delegation, which also includes the minister in charge of attracting foreign investments, Bill Pavleski and the director of the Directorate for Technological and Industrial Development Zones, Viktor Mizo, is expected to visit four Indian cities - Gurgaon, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Chennai.

As part of its five-day visit to India, the delegation on Friday held  meetings with representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

ArcelorMittal investment in Skopje plant

Plant "ArcelorMittal Skopje"  presented Thursday a new EUR 3,5 million investment in a zinc plating line.

The investment covered a reconstruction and full automation of the steel mill's zinc plating production line, which is expected to increase output volume and quality.

It will enable a more efficient technological operation,  better energy efficiency and productivity, reduced emissions of air polluting substances and their continual monitoring.

The Ministers for attracting foreign investments and environment, Vele Samak and  Abdilaqim Ademi respectively, welcomed the new investment. 

Government officials, many businessmen and general managers of the most influential companies in the Balkan steel industry attended the event.

ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel and mining company. Guided by a philosophy to produce safe, sustainable steel, it is the leading supplier of quality steel products in all major markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging. ArcelorMittal operates in 60 countries and employs about 260,000 people worldwide.