Skopje, 24 November 2022 (MIA) – The Foreign Affairs Ministers of 42 Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) member states at the 7th UfM Regional Forum on Thursday in Barcelona unanimously endorsed the accession of North Macedonia to the Union. Addressing the official accession ceremony, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani expressed his gratitude for recognition of the real interest of North Macedonia to join the Union for the Mediterranean as well as for the given trust, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. “Our accession in the Union for the Mediterranean as a platform for regional cooperation and dialogue will enable us, as a country that has opened EU accession negotiations, closer networking and integration of North Macedonia in the European structures that cover the Mediterranean basin and cooperation between the European Union member states and fifteen countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean,” Osmani said. Osmani underlined that North Macedonia, with its tradition of inter-ethnic dialogue, cohesion and peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes, contributes to the stability of South-East Europe by promoting European values, good neighborly relations, regional cooperation and the culture of dialogue. He added that by joining the organization today, North Macedonia will try to contribute to the promotion of growth, employment, regional cohesion and socioeconomic integration, adding value to the overall relations in the Euro-Mediterranean region, reads the press release. The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental organization of 42 member states from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin – the 27 EU member states and 15 Mediterranean partner countries from North Africa, Western Asia and Southern Europe. Founded in 2008 in Paris, it aims at reinforcing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Euromed).