The Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Macedonia yesterday signed an agreement for cooperation in the field of technology and the military industry.
President Gligorov yesterday received the Minister for national defence of Turkey, Mehmed Gjolhan. During the meeting it was concluded that military cooperation takes a more important place in the entire friendly relations between Macedonia and Turkey, which are developing in all fields of mutual interest. The Prime Minister Crvenkovski also had a meeting with Minister Gjolhan.
The Ministers for defence of the Republic of Turkey and the republic of Macedonia, Mehmed Gjolhan and Blagoja Handziski, during the joint press conference confirmed the existence of friendly relations between the two states, as well as the large opportunities for further cooperation.
replying to the question about the details of the agreement for military-industrial cooperation, Minister Handziski explained that Macedonia is rigorously respecting the decision of the UN for an arms embargo for all countries from the former Yugoslavia. he explained that Macedonia is equipping itself with military-technical and other equipment solely from it's own sources, more precisely from Macedonian factories. In these conditions, the agreement with Turkey is aimed at creating a legal foundation with which the two states will carry out all necessary preparations so that when the embargo is lifted, cooperation can immediately begin.
Minister Gjolhan stated that the behavior of certain states that are using economic blockades, that are obstructing membership to international organizations, is truly not understandable and it is unacceptable especially today when the international community accepts the stance that the Republic of Macedonia should be given all political, economic and other assistance so that it may preserve it's stability. "It is very difficult for me to understand how one state is requesting that another state changes it's symbols and is using force to do this".
The German daily "Frankefurter algemajne caitung" in yesterday's edition writes that the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, is convinced that the Government of the USA will not allow the war to spread from Bosnia and Hertzegovina to Macedonia.
Kiro Gligorov also stated for this newspaper that it is not by chance that the USA, together with other UN forces, is engaged in Macedonia. "Their presence in Macedonia is a clear sign to all that have aspirations towards Macedonia. Washington knows very well that an eventual war in the Southern Balkan will mean a catastrophe for this region. The war might then spread to Turkey and could encompass the Near East".
In his statement for the newspaper, president Gligorov called upon the President of Serbia, Slobodan Miloshevih, to recognize the Republic of Macedonia. "A great Serbia, a one nation Serbia, can not be realized because relation on the Balkan are so unclear and intertwined that you can not create even one pure national state on the Balkan without causing bloodshed", stated President Gligorov for the German newspaper "Frankfurter algemajne caitung".
The Minister for foreign affairs of the republic of Macedonia yesterday arrived in New York leading our countries delegation to the Conference of countries members of the Agreement for the non-proliferation of nuclear arms.
It is expected that the Agreement will be continued for the following 25 years.
Otherwise yesterday the UN Security Council, in the light of this conference, adopted a resolution that offers security guarantees for the non-nuclear states who are members of this Agreement, among which is the Republic of Macedonia.
The Greek press, according to the corespondent of "Nova Makedonija", writes that the Greek Minister for foreign affairs, Papuljas, has been informed that his colleague Kinkel left Skopje without a clear picture about weather Macedonia "at any point in time and in which" will appear at the negotiating table in new York. At the same time it is being pointed out in Bon that Kinkel's visit to Macedonia was not on some mediating mission, as it was previously being claimed in Athens.
After his return to Bon, the German minister for foreign affairs, Klaus Kinkel, informed the Greek Minister Papuljas about his meetings during his one day visit to the R.M. talking about the visit, a German diplomat whose name is not mentioned, who was with kinkel in Skopje, stated that "small progress was noticed in comparison to the previous meetings between the German Minister and the Macedonian leaders last December in Budapest, as well as in August in Hamburg.
After his return to Bon Kinkel confirmed, according to sources in Athens, that President Gligorov did not exclude the possibility that the Minister for foreign affairs Stevo Crvenkovski might start direct negotiations in new York under the mediation of Sajrus Vance. As far as the recently "failed" attempt for negotiations is concerned, the German Minister throws the blame on the Greek Minister Papuljas for violating the agreement reached under UN mediation, according to which start of the negotiations would be announced only after a written reply was received from both sides.
Other sources also confirm that it is the opinion of the German Ministry for foreign relations that Athens should temporarily lift the economic embargo, as official Bon has been requesting for some time, even if its is only for the duration of the direct Macedonian-Greek negotiations.
The Secretariat for information announced that Mr. Wilfred Talvic, vice-president of the World Bank, and Mrs. Rejchel Lomaks, director of the European department I of the World Bank, along with their associates, are on a visit to Macedonia.
The aim of this visit is so that the guests from the World Bank may get acquainted with the structural reforms that are going on in the economy of the Republic of Macedonia, especially in light of the agreement with the World bank. During their three day visit the guests will have an opportunity to get more knowledge about the situation in the country before the presentation of the World Bank's strategy of support for the Republic of Macedonia. Talks will also be held on the possibilities for receiving credits for transportation, restructuring of the economy and the banks and for the social sector.
Yesterday, within the frame of the visit, the gusts had a meeting with the representatives of the banks in the Republic of Macedonia. During the meeting discussions were held about the reforms and the sanation and restructuring of the banks, in light of the new Law for the restructuring of the system of banks.
During the meeting, the directors of the banks pointed out the need for the existence of a long term credit potential in the banks, acceptable conditions for investments and the need to enhance legislative solutions. Special attention was paid to the problem of the protection of the interests of the creditors and the banks, the development of the stock exchange market, as well as the possibilities to receive foreign capital.
It is expected that changes will be made in the payment operations (between firms) in Macedonia starting from the 1st of January next year, stated the deputy-Gouvernor of the National bank of Macedonia, Gligor Bishev.
At the moment payment operations are carried out through the Bureau for payment operations (an institution that was formed from the former Service for public bookkeeping). However, the money is in fact in the banks and in the national Bank of Macedonia. In this division of duties, the banks, which are the backbone of the Macedonian financial system are not directing the income and outcome of funds from their accounts. This is automatically done by the Bureau for payment operations, which in the end does not enable the implementation of a financial discipline in the Macedonian economy.
According to the deputy-Governor Bishev, only the central banks of Macedonia and Slovenia are in this situation, unlike the banks in the other east-European countries.
With the changes that have to happen as of the first day of the next year, the banks will become the places where the firms and the population will present money orders for large sums (unlike today when the banks carried out payment operations only for the individual citizens), while the Bureau of payment operations will become a classical place where the population and the firms will carry out payment operations only for small sums.
The national Bank will keep record of the changes that occur among the accounts of the banks.
Large quantities of flour and wheat are being imported on the domestic market without control, and this is being done in spite of the implemented taxes for the import contingents for these products, through various manipulations and camouflaged deals. The silos are over-full, which has never happened before, and this is not very favorable for the timely collecting and storing of this years yield, it was stated during the session of the Group for mills and the bakery industry at the Chamber of Commerce of Macedonia.
According to this group, at the moment we have 150 million kg. of stored wheat, the value of which is 1 billion and 219 million denars, if we calculate 8 denars per kg.
The situation in this branch has become even worse after only a slite correction of the price of the bread of only 17% and the unchanged price of the flour.
During the session it was pointed out that the Government and the authorized ministry are preparing a decision to implement contingents for the import of wheat and flour to protect the domestic production.
However the group is not very confident in these measures because manipulations with this decision are possible.