Skopje, 30 September 2022 (MIA) - Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies Slavica Grkovska met Friday the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of North Macedonia Ami Larsson Jain. Wishing Ami Larsson-Jain a successful mandate during her diplomatic mission in the country, Grkovska voiced expectation that the cooperation between the Republic of North Macedonia and Sweden will strengthen in the coming period, the government said in a press release. “The Kingdom of Sweden will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2023, and I am convinced that North Macedonia will have a strong friend and supporter of EU integration process. The opening of the EU accession negotiations is of crucial importance for accelerating the reform agenda in the country,” Grkovska said. Ambassador Larsson Jain said that the bilateral cooperation between two countries is developed in many areas of common interest, such as democracy, gender equality and the environment. She noted that the strategy for reform cooperation between Sweden and the Western Balkans and Turkey was recently adopted, which will provide EUR 6 million for North Macedonia. Deputy PM Grkovska said that expert support from Sweden and its experience in building strong democratic and accountable institutions is very important for us in the screening process and the start of EU accession negotiations. They agreed that it would be good to deepen mutual cooperation in the area of improving the transparency of institutions, but also for closer cooperation with young people who are key to the development of the country, reads the press release.