Skopje, 2 November 2022 (MIA) - The war in Ukraine highly impacted and seriously disrupted the economy. With the energy crisis, which is currently the biggest risk for business, no country can handle it alone. The countries must act together and jointly to overcome the current challenges, said the participants of Tuesday’s Macedonian-German forum “European economy under stress after Russian invasion into Ukraine.” During the forum it was said that the coronavirus pandemic was the first blow, the second blow is the war in Ukraine which has seriously disrupted the European supply chain, and the sanctions against Russia and the enormous prices of gas and oil are the last blow that the industry is dealing with. According to the participants, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will encourage enormous changes from an economic point of view. Russia is not only using military weapons, but also economic weapons - energy weapons. No country alone can fight energy dependence, all countries should do it together. The issue of energy supply is also raised here in the country, and it will be an important issue in the coming months, as in other countries,” Daniel Braun, official representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, said. The Russian invasion into Ukraine, Braun added, is not only an attack on the international order, but Europe and the world are facing completely new challenges. “In addition to energy supply, new production locations and the supply chain are also important for future investments,” Braun added. German Ambassador Anke Holstein referred to the perspective of North Macedonia. “It is no coincidence that the Western Balkans, including the Republic of North Macedonia, is receiving more attention than ever before from the German Federal Government. Our priority is to bring the countries of the Western Balkans into the EU, to protect peace, stability and economic progress for us and for the next generations. This is also the reason why the German government has revitalized the Berlin process,” Holstein said. She expressed gratitude for the principled position of North Macedonia in terms of full compliance with the EU's positions: sanctions, welcoming refugees, aid and supplying weapons. The Ambassador Holstein reiterated that Germany remains a strong supporter of the North Macedonia’s European integration process. “You know that you can always count on our support,” Holstein stressed. The Director of the German Industry and Commerce in North Macedonia, Patrick Martens, referred to the supply chains which were firstly affected by the COVID-19, but also by the closure of the ports in China. “It shows how vulnerable our domestic industries are. However, with the war in Ukraine, the crisis reached its peak, again the disruption in the supply chains and the soaring energy prices. Therefore, South Eastern Europe, especially the Western Balkans, are the focus of new supply chains for risk diversification. The current trade balance with this region is already showing impressive results and will continue to grow,” Martens said. The event was hosted by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, delegation of German Industry and Commerce in North Macedonia and the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis”-Skopje (IDSCS).