CANBERRA—Mimicking the large yellow rays on the Macedonian flag, the sun shone through overcast skies above Parliament House on Monday to help welcome the prime minister of the small European nation.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr Nikola Gruevski, was also greeted by a 19-gun salute, a marching band playing Waltzing Matilda and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
He inspected the Federation Guard on the forecourt of Parliament House before heading inside with Mr Rudd to sign the official guest book.
He is the first prime minister or president of the Republic of Macedonia to make an official visit to Australia.
The pair also signed a new social security agreement that will benefit up to 4,000 residents of both countries.
From 2011, people who have spent part of their adult lives in Australia and Macedonia will have access to pensions from both countries.
The landlocked country, with a population of about 2 million people, declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.
The flag, adopted in 1995, depicts a stylised yellow sun on a red background, and was flown at Parliament House on Monday.
Mr Gruevski will travel to Melbourne on Tuesday before heading back to Macedonia on Wednesday.
