Today is the National Day of Macedonia.

Macedonia is a landlocked country on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Albania to the west, Kosovo to the northwest, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east, Skopje is the capital.

Since independence in 1991, Macedonia has experienced considerable economic growth, due to the development of an open economy, with trade accounting for more than 90% of the Gross Domestic Product. The government has proven successful in its efforts to combat inflation, with an inflation rate of only 3% in 2006 and 2% in 2007, and has implemented policies focused on attracting foreign investment and promoting the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The government introduced a flat tax system with the intention of making the country more attractive to foreign investment.

Textiles represent the most significant sector for trade, accounting for more than half of total exports. Other important exports include iron, steel, wine, and vegetables.

The country is a member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe and a member of La Francophonie, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since December, 2005, it has been a candidate for membership in the European Union and has applied for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership.

We congratulate the people and government of Macedonia led by Their Excellencies, President Gjorge Ivanov and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, on the occasion of its National Day. We wish them success in all their endeavors.