FM Milososki: US is Macedonia's strategic partner and ally

Skopje, 9 March 2011 (MIA) - Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki says he shares the opinion of the President's Cabinet about the statement of Ambassador and member of the Head of State's Council for International Relations Risto Nikovski on Macedonia's ties with the US, saying that it is an individual consideration that doesn't reflect the state's official stand.

"The comment of the President (Gjorge) Ivanov's Cabinet was crystal clear. Each person is entitled to own opinions, statements, comments, but Macedonia's Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have one orientation - a strategic partnership with our friends in Washington. During this Government's mandate a document on Macedonia-US Strategic Partnership has been signed, and we believe that our ties and the practical alliance on the ground - in Iraq, Afghanistan - confirm that this friendship is based on solid grounds," Milososki said Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar.