“I have to emphasize how pleased I am with the fact that over the past couple of days we had a chance of meeting many high-ranking US officials and discuss the Republic of Macedonia, the relations between the USA and Macedonia, the progress that has been made and the future,” the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said, after his meetings with US Vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.

At those meetings, the prime minister talked about the progress Macedonia had made in the economy and education, the new steps in the judiciary and the public administration and about the Framework Agreement. He explained the reforms in details to show the Macedonian government was committed to reforms. Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton were informed that before the crisis Macedonia had a growth rate of 5-6 percent, that Macedonia was the third largest reformer in 2010 according to the World Bank, climbing up from the 96th to the 36th position on the general list, that 6 percent of Macedonia’s GDP was spent on education, that progress had been made in fighting crime and corruption as a result of which Macedonia had climbed from the 105th to the 62nd position and that the country would stay that course.

However, the most talked about issue was Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration and the name issue with Greece, the only obstacle on Macedonia’s path of integration into NATO and the EU.

“The US position is that Macedonia and Greece should resolve their problem on their own and that they should not expect someone else to do the job for them. Of course that is our position too,” Prime Minister Gruevski said.