Gjorge Ivanov was officially sworn in as the fourth president of independent Macedonia at the formal inauguration ceremony held in the Macedonian Assembly today.

In his first address before the diplomatic corps, the presidents of a few friendly neighboring countries, and the parliamentarians of the Macedonian Assembly, Ivanov vowed to do his utmost for the well being of the state and all its citizens. He thanked all previous Macedonian presidents - Kiro Gligorov, Boris Trajkovski, and Branko Crvenkovski - for their hard work and dedication to building a modern Macedonian state. Ivanov also expressed great gratitude to all citizens who placed their trust in him, promising to be president of all citizens of Macedonia. He stressed that this function does not recognize political options or ethnic, cultural, and religious differences. The president is the voice of democracy, unity, and humanism, Ivanov underlined.