Skopje, 13 December 2022 (MIA) – Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani participated in the ministerial meeting US-Adriatic Charter (A5) in Podgorica, Montenegro. As part of the meeting, North Macedonia takes over the US-Adriatic Charter presidency from Montenegro in 2023, the year marking the 20th anniversary of the regional organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Tuesday.  

Talks focused on the stability of the Western Balkans in the context of the current security situation, the challenges facing the region and ways to strengthen the resilience of the societies, in order to deal more successfully with the crises.  

Osmani stressed the importance of promoting regional cooperation and the need to strengthen joint, regional contribution to preserve the security and stability of the region, also highlighting the strong support from the United States in that direction.  

“As a NATO member, North Macedonia will continue its active contribution to preserving the stability of the Western Balkans, which is our top foreign policy priority. Our country is strongly committed to promoting Euro-Atlantic values, as well as supporting other members of the Charter in achieving their Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” Osmani pointed out.  

Ahead of the A5 ministerial, Osmani held a joint press conference with Montenegro’s Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, presenting the goals of North Macedonia’s Charter presidency.  

“As the future chair of A5, we are already taking the initiative to further reinvigorate the Charter. The goal is not only to strengthen, but also give the appropriate role to A5 in our region. In some way, through a new concept, or a new narrative, make an adaptation of the goals and mission of the Charter, appropriate to the new geopolitical challenges and the new circumstances in the region,” said Osmani.   

He noted that North Macedonia has clear US support in terms of reinvigorating the A5, towards enabling the countries in the region to deal with today’s challenges more efficiently, which has also been a topic of discussion during the strategic dialogue held with the United States in Washington in June.  

Minister Osmani pointed out that North Macedonia’s A5 presidency coincides with the 2023 OSCE chairpersonship, thus the country assumes a significant and responsible role at a regional and multilateral level.  

“Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine has created complex geopolitical circumstances and disrupted security architecture, hence presiding over security organizations represents a special challenge for us,” Osmani said.  

As part of the visit to Podgorica, FM Osmani also met with Montenegro’s President Milo Đukanović.