Every nation has a sovereign right of name, identity and language nobody can deny, former head of Slovene state Milan Kucan said Monday after his meeting with President Gjorge Ivanov.

- There is a future for Europe only if it recognizes a diversity of identities and cultures - otherwise the idea for united Europe will not exist, Kucan said.

However Kucan considers that  Macedonia have several reasons for optimism in this period - the positive European Commission report on the country's progress (towards Eu membership), lifting of visa regime, direct Skopje-Athens contacts, six-month term for settling the name row.

At the meeting, Kucan presented Ivanov with a monumental collection of facsimiles of prints, brought together by Janez Vajkard Valvasor - "Iconotheca Valvasoriana".

The collection encompasses a total of 7,752 prints and drawings by Duerer, Cranach, Rembrandt, Callot and other German, Austrian, Dutch, Flemish, French, Italian, English and Carinthian masters of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The prints and drawings were put together in 17 large-size volumes bound in leather. Valvasor arranged them by the theme, technique and nationality of the authors.

- We are glad to be one of the few countries Slovenia has presented with its national treasury, Ivanov said.

He extended gratitude to Slovenia on its support of Macedonia's Euri-integration process and speeding up of the visa liberalization, which as propose by Ljubljana would enter into force on December 19 instead of January 1.