Latest data on industrial production in Macedonia, which has risen by 25 percent, along with trade increase by about 15 percent are surprising even for us, although we stressed production would increase accompanied by the crisis' departure, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said late on Saturday.

"I said on several occasions this will be the year of the global economic crisis departure. Things develop as we expected and foresaw", PM Gruevski told reporters after announcing the resumption of VMRO-DPMNE-DOM coalition.

Gruevski thanked citizens for their confidence in the Government, which undertook anti-crisis measures to mitigate its effects.

"This year we can see that the global crisis is finally leaving the Republic of Macedonia. There is rise in the industrial production and trade, but other indicators also show a favorable trend", added the PM.

According to him, entry of foreign investments in January has increased by 50 percent compared to the same period in 2010.

"Numbers indicate that we are gradually going back to the high rates of economic growth prior to the global crisis", underlined PM Gruevski.