Skopje, 14 March 2023 (MIA) - As part of North Macedonia's Chairmanship with the US-Adriatic Charter (A5), the first joint meeting of political and defense directors from the foreign and defense ministries of the Charter's member states and observers was held in Skopje, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.  

"Our chairmanship coincides with the 20th anniversary of the founding of this initiative. Participants in the meeting welcomed the achievements of the A5 so far reflected in the respective membership of four Charter member countries in the NATO Alliance. Hence, talks focused on ways to revitalize and adapt the initiative to the new security reality and the current regional dynamics. The goal is to strengthen the political role of the Charter and to create new mechanisms for adequately addressing the current security challenges in the region," reads the press release. 

Interlocutors also discussed the consequences of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine on the region, with special emphasis on cyber and hybrid threats, the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and dealing with disinformation. Ways to strengthen resilience through joint actions and cooperation were discussed.

In addition, participants in the meeting adopted an Action Plan of North Macedonia's Chairmanship with the US-Adriatic Charter in the current year.

"A5 is a unique forum of cooperation, which has in its ranks, in addition to the countries in the region, the United States as our strategic partner. More specifically, Albania, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are members of the Charter, while Serbia, Slovenia and Kosovo have the status of observer countries. Established in 2003, this organization has been generating security and stability in this part of Europe for two decades," said the Foreign Ministry.