Siljanovska Davkova: North Macedonia, Serbia have excellent relations

VRANJE - North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova said on Friday she was extremely pleased with a visit to Serbia and a meeting with President Aleksandar Vucic, noting that the two countries had excellent good-neighbourly relations based on a desire for solidarity.

"As you know, I am a great advocate of regional cooperation. I am confident that, unless we understand each other and help each other, we cannot expect others to understand us. That is why we need to do our part of the work and solve problems that exist between us, and not allow others to solve them," Siljanovska Davkova said at a press conference with Vucic after the meeting with the Serbian president and a tour of the St Prohor Pcinjski monastery near Vranje, southern Serbia.

Siljanovska Davkova visited the monastery to mark St Elijah's Day, North Macedonia's national holiday.

She said she was delighted with the hospitality and that the visit was extremely important to her.

"It has already been mentioned that, for us, this is not an ordinary holiday, because it is the day when the anti-fascist assembly of Macedonia's national liberation was established (in 1944)," she said.

Noting that the visit was her first trip to Serbia as North Macedonia's president, she said she was certain it would not be the last.

She expressed great gratitude to Serbia for helping to fight recent forest fires in North Macedonia and added that the two countries maintained excellent good-neighbourly relations based on a desire for solidarity.

Noting that there was also a desire for lasting cooperation, Siljanovska Davkova said she expected that to be continued.