The Mayor of Kocani, Nikolco Ilijev, was elected at today's first session as the new president of the Council of Mayors of the East Planning Region, which is held in Stip. Eleven mayors (11) from the East Planning Region known as the Bregalnicki region unanimously has adopted the decision in the next two years with the Council of Mayors to manage Mr. Ilijev.

I consider that this function, which I have received and which I have, is just another additional obligation and responsibility before all citizens of the East. The expectations of the citizens from the East, and probably from all over Macedonia, are great. Therefore, our obligations will be very high. My expectations are good cooperation with my colleagues. I will be the first among the equal, who will fight for each project, for every idea that will contribute to a better life and development of the East, which has been neglected for a long time, says Mr.Ilijev.

The Deputy Minister of Local Self-Government Mr.Dejan Pavlevski announced that in the 2018 budget for the municipalities in the country through the Ministry and the Bureau for Balanced Regional Development, bigger funds are foreseen for realization of projects of regional character.

About Six million Euros are planned, at the same time I would like to point out that the Government will work hard in the forthcoming period to locate funds for all the ministries that will be allocated precisely for balanced regional development and according to criteria that will mean helping those regions to which they really need the most help. We hope that the foreseen amount will soon be reached in accordance with the Law on Balanced Regional Development of 1% of GDP in fact about 100 million Euros. I am confident and confident that this will be done very soon, said Mr.Pavlevski.

The Mayor of the Municipality of Stip, Blagoj Bocvarski, as host of today's constitutive session of the Council of mayors of the IPR, emphasized that the agreement between the 11 mayors in the next two years with this body is managed by the Mayor of Kocani, Mr.Iliev, and after the expiration of his term this function to be taken over by the Mayor of Stip. He noted that as the mayor of the largest municipality in the region, he will strive for greater development and adoption and realization of projects for the eastern region.