Macedonia has managed to build a solid system of fiscal, monetary and financial policies, which have given significant room for maneuvering in coping with negative spillover of the global crisis, said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in his address at the 6. Astana Economic Forum 2013.

PM Gruevski said the Astana Forum was held in a time of renewed enthusiasm over perspectives of the global economy.

"Fast-growing economies such as Kazakhstan are a proof that new chapters of prosperity will open in the near future, thus new markets and investment opportunities. Despite the recovery, challenges still remain, especially regarding stability of the global financial system", said Gruevski.

The PM referred to Macedonia's reforms for attraction of new investors, low taxes, drastic reduction of the administrative and regulatory burden, as well as benefits of technological-industrial development zones.

"Companies from the United States, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, UK have already invested over the past couple of years, which confirms Macedonia's serious efforts in the field", added Gruevski.

According to him, attraction of financial capital was impossible without competitive human capital, which has resulted in broadening of the access to higher education, especially in the areas of mathematics and information technologies.

"There are still challenges that must be overcome and that contemporary economies need to face. A challenge for the near future is to maintain the balance between growth and vulnerability without forgetting that European integration has numerous advantages. In general, the strategy of European economies is to use to the maximum the advantages at disposal, reducing to the minimum inherent risks in balances", underlined PM Gruevski.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the 67. Session of the UN General Assembly Vuk Jeremic and other officials also addressed the event.

The 6. Astana Economic Forum 2013 is a prestigious gathering of economic experts, businessmen, entrepreneurs and managers of large business consortia and companies, professors, Nobel Prize laureates, politicians and statesmen.