Germany is prepared to help Macedonia secure a stable and good future. The more results you show, the bigger our support will be. This was German Chancellor Angela Merkel's message yesterday prior to her meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. But she did not say anything as regards Macedonia's expectations for a date for start of the negotiations for membership.

"Germany is very interested in seeing Macedonia achieve successful growth," Merkel said. She expressed satisfaction and gratitude that the new Macedonian Government chose Germany as the country to which it would pay its first official visit.

Cooperation, economic growth, and the country's stability were the topics that were supposed to be discussed yesterday.

Unlike Merkel, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski expressed bigger expectations.

"Germany has helped us a lot so far and we expect even bigger support in the future. We have big expectations of Germany's chairing with the European Union from 1 January year 2007 and we believe that we will have their support," Gruevski said.

He said that the new Government is firmly determined to achieve progress in the reforms, which would secure a multiethnic and stable democracy, a functional market economy, and bigger economic growth.

"We believe that this way we will help the EU make decisions that will ensure a better future for Macedonia and serious progress on our path toward the EU," Gruevski stated.

Gruevski leads the senior government delegation, which includes Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Stavreski and Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki.