Skopje, 11 June 2022 (MIA) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is paying an official visit to North Macedonia on Saturday, has arrived in Skopje where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski  with highest state and military honors outside the government’s building. Earlier on Saturday, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani welcomed the German Chancellor at the Skopje International Airport. Top state advisors on foreign and security policy, economics and finance, European policy, as well as newly appointed Special Envoy of Germany for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarazzin, are part of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s delegation on an official visit to North Macedonia as part of his trip to the Western Balkans. The Macedonian delegation at the welcome ceremony and the bilateral meeting includes First Deputy PM and Minister for Political System and Inter-Community Relations Artan Grubi, Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska, Minister of Local Self-Government Goran Milevski, and Minister of Information Society and Administration Admirim Aliti. Chancellor Scholz’s official visit agenda includes tête-à-tête meeting with PM Kovachevski after the welcome ceremony, and a bilateral meeting between the two delegations. PM Kovachevski and Chancellor Scholz are scheduled to hold a joint press conference at the end of the official visit. Scholz’s first stops on his trip to the Western Balkans were Pristina and Belgrade on Friday.  After his visit to Skopje, the German Chancellor will travel to Sofia for talks with Bulgarian top officials.