Skopje, 8 October 2022 (MIA) - The European Political Community (EPC) is a direct response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and also a joint European response to Russia's threat affecting the European security. It will not deal at all with issues in the EU's main focus, including the enlargement policy, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said Saturday. Public dilemma, he said, especially in the Western Balkans as to whether this community is established to serve as an alternative to the EU for the EU membership hopefuls, has been cleared. "The European Council has reached conclusions that this community in no way should be interpreted as some kind of interfering into EU policies, including the enlargement one. It is a platform aiming at responding to geostrategic, political, economic, energy and climate challenges facing the European continent and to position itself in this geopolitical regrouping that is occurring regarding the relations with Russia and in the global context in general," Minister Osmani told a press briefing in connection to the European Political Community's first meeting in Prague, also attended by a government delegation led by PM Dimitar Kovachevski. Asked whether the EPC will replace OSCE, which next year is to be chaired by North Macedonia, he said that OSCE is the largest security regional organization, whereas the Community is a political platform tasked with consolidating the European continent. "It's true, OSCE at the moment is challenged by Russia, which is blocking the organization ahead of our takeover of the chairmanship. However, OSCE remains relevant due to its geographical scope, with members including the United States, Canada, the EU and Russia as well as Central Asian countries," Osmani said. He added: "There is a member country, a country in the EPC that wants to open the enlargement issue." "The position of our country is that it is not a platform where the EU enlargement issue should be discussed, because it is an entirely different platform," concluded Minister Osmani.