Skopje, 12 January 2024 (MIA) – Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski held Friday tête-à-tête meeting with his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar, who is on official visit to North Macedonia.

Following the tête-à-tête meeting, a bilateral meeting between the Macedonian and Irish delegations took place, attended by Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj, Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska, and Minister of Information Society and Administration Azir Aliu, the government said in a press release.

The meeting acknowledged the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, highlighting the existence of a strong political dialogue despite the geographical distance.

"The need for strengthening economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of information technology, telecommunications, organic food production, energy, and tourism, was underscored during the meeting," reads the press release.

Prime Minister Kovachevski expressed gratitude during the meeting for Ireland's strong and vocal support for North Macedonia on the path to the EU. This support has been ongoing since the time of submitting our membership application to the Union, notably during Ireland's EU Presidency in 2004.

They jointly highlighted that EU enlargement is a strategic and security matter of paramount importance in this complex and uncertain geopolitical context for the European continent.

Both prime ministers noted that the future of North Macedonia should rise above all political and ideological differences. Therefore, all political stakeholders are expected to be proactive in achieving the goals set on the path to the EU.

The role of North Macedonia as a factor of stability and security in the region and more broadly within the European framework was recognized. There was a conviction expressed that this is yet another strong argument for securing the country's European perspectives, reads the press release.