Zaev  told that many Slovenian companies have been operating successfully in Macedonia for decades and "we wish they make as much as possible while we open jobs and boost our GDP".

Zaev, who began an official visit on Monday, hosted the business breakfast together with Foreign Ministry State Secretary Iztok Mirošič. The latter said the meeting was proof that business diplomacy works.

Zaev said that "we benefit each time Slovenia is present in Macedonia, whatever the field may be".

"The production costs in Macedonia are very competitive, since the standard is lower in Macedonia than in Slovenia," he added.

Mirošič pointed out Slovenia is the biggest foreign investor in Macedonia, followed by the US and Turkey.

He highlighted infrastructure, agriculture and information and communication technologies as fields where cooperation can be strengthened further.

Both were excited about the presence of top Slovenian firms at the meeting, which included the chairmen of pharma company Krka, reinsurer Sava RE, the NLB bank, electronics company Iskra, engineering company Riko, plastic product maker Roto and David Benedek of insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav.

While Slovenian companies remain the biggest investor in Macedonia, trade between the two countries has also been rising, by 11% in 2016 and by 8.3% in the first half of this year.