Skopje hosts conference - Basic factors for receptive tourism development

Macedonia square in Skopje.

Economy Minister Valjon Saracini Wednesday will open conference on topic "Basic factors for receptive tourism development" which will be held in Skopje.

The Turkish actor Necati Sasmaz, who starred in the popular television series "Valley of the Wolves" as Polat Alemdar, will be a special guest at the 2nd International Tourism Fair.

Economic Chamber for Tourism of Macedonia organises the conference.

Macedonian companies presented at Stockholm International Bazaar

Macedonian companies have been presented at the traditional 'International Bazaar' in Stockholm, organised by the Macedonian Embassy in Sweden.

More than 2.000 visitors visited Macedonian stand where wide-range of products from "Vipro", "Vitalia" and "Lars" companies were presented. They donated some of their products for this humanitarian event and funds are intended for international project "Save the children Sweden," MIA correspondent reports from Gothenburg.

Vice President of the Swedish Parliament Susanne Eberstein, FM Carl Bildt and his wife MEP Anna Maria Corazza Bildt and President of the Council of the City of Stockholm Margareta Bjork visited Macedonian display. They expressed satisfaction from possibility to buy and to taste Macedonian food products in Sweden.

Macedonian Ambassador to Sweden Kire Ilioski thanked for the continuous Swedish support to Macedonia on political and economic plan. He emphasised that the country will continue with intensified activities for European integration and invited MEP Anna Maria Corazza Bildt to visit the Republic of Macedonia.

NATO grant for reconstruction of Corridor 10 bridges

A NATO grant of EUR 8.6 million will be used for the reconstruction of 13 bridges at road section Katlanovo-Veles, resulting from the memorandum of understanding over the project for overhaul of bridges along Corridor 10, which Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski and KFOR Chief of Staff, Brigadier-General Rex Spitler signed on Wednesday.

The reconstruction represents the third stage of the project, whereas the Faculty of Civil Engineering is set to develop the draft-plan in the coming three months.

Minister Janakieski said a public call for construction companies is to be announced by September, whereas the contractor should be selected by December.

"Works should start next spring and finish by the end of 2014", added Janakieski.

The two previous stages of the project, worth EUR 22,5 million, encompassed the reconstruction of 51 bridges at road sections Katlanovo-Veles, Skopje-Blace and Demir Kapija-Gevgelija

Macedonian Railways, German consortium Wiebe&Alpine sign agreement on renewal of tracks – part of Corridor X

Skopje, 10 April 2012 (MIA) - Macedonian Public Enterprise for Rail Infrastructure (PERI) and German Consortium 'Wiebe & Alpine' signed Tuesday in Skopje an agreement on revitalization of two tracks along the Corridor X railways line, namely Tabanovce-Karpos-Kumanovo and Miravci-Smokvica sections.

The project covers an upgrading of a total of 25 km-long tracks and will be realized under the sovereign EUR 6,9million-loan of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The EBRD is supporting further modernisation of the country's transport infrastructure with a total of EUR17.6 million-loan to finance track renewal along the Corridor X railways line in Macedonia. This will take the form of the replacement of wooden with concrete sleepers and the supply of new rails where, applicable, along approximately 50 km of track.

The loan also covers the renewal of the 30km Negotno-Nogaevci track, which wraps up the Corridor X renewal, PERI General Director Irfan Asani said at a press conference.

Corridor X is the main north-south route in Macedonia, providing a connection to Serbia and onwards to Europe in the north, and to Greece in the south. Modernisation of the rail network is one of the country's priorities, given its importance for the promotion of local industry and international trade. lk/15:53

New highway for airport Alexander the Great put into use

"TAV Macedonia" has completed its EUR 100 million investment in Macedonia by putting into use a new interchange for airport "Alexander the Great" on Saturday, thus enabling easier access to the airport.

"We are encircling a significant project that is of enormous benefit for our citizens, since the airport's overhaul has resulted in interest by many low-cost airlines, whereas turnover has increased", said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at the event.

Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski stressed the number of passengers at the Skopje-based airport vastly increased in 2011, whereas the trend has resumed this year.

"The number of passengers in the first quarter of 2012 has increased by 27 percent. I expect that subsidies for airlines will bring the number of passengers up to one million", said Janakieski.

The interchange investment was worth EUR 2,2 million, of which TAV provided EUR 1,5 million, whereas the remaining were allocated by the Government.

"TAV Macedonia" is the concessionaire of the Skopje and Ohrid airports for a period of 20 years

1,900 year old sculpture unearthed in Stobi

The Isis sculpture, the ancient Goddess of fertility is said to be at least 1,900 years old, is over 2m tall and well preserved much to the surprise of experts.

This is the second such sculpture enarthed in Stobi, which proved the believe of Macedonian archeologists that the location was home to worshippers. It took archeologists 4 years to locate the sculpture.

Ratu Boko palace in Yogyakarta

If we travel to Yogyakarta there are a relic of history in the eighth century a castle on the hill located in the south of the temple Prambanan Ratu Boko Palace.

is a complex archaeological site which is the remaining number of buildings located approximately 3 km to the south of the temple complex of Prambanan, 18 km east of Yogyakarta, or 50 km southwest of the city of Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. Total area of ​​the complex is about 25 ha.

This site displays the attribute as a place of activism or a settlement site, but the exact function has not been clearly established. Ratu Boko is estimated to have used one in the 8th century during the Dynasty Sailendra (Rakai Panangkaran) of the Kingdom Medang (Hindu Mataram). Judging from the pattern of laying the remains of the building, allegedly this site is the former palace (the king). This opinion is based on the fact that this complex is not a temple or a building with a religious nature, but rather a fortified castle with evidence of the rest of the castle walls and dry moat as a defense structure. The remains of settlements are also found in the vicinity of this site.

The name "Ratu Boko" is derived from local legend. Ratu Boko (Java language, meaning literally: "the king stork") is the father of Loro Jonggrang, which is also the name of the main temple complex of Prambanan Temple.

Administratively, the site is located in the District of Prambanan, Sleman regency, Yogyakarta and lies at an altitude of nearly 200 m above sea level.

The site is to be nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995

 Gamelan is a cultural heritage are always welcome local and foreign tourists