Skopje, 20 April 2023 (MIA) - Official launch of the Frontex joint operation in North Macedonia will take place on Thursday in the police training centre in Gjorche Petrov.

The launch event will be attended by PM Dimitar Kovachevski, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski, Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens, EU Ambassador David Geer and Lena Düpont, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur for the status agreement between the EU and the Republic of North Macedonia.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson is also set to deliver a video address, while Spasovski and Leijtens are to hold a press conference.

The joint operation is expected to last until January 24, 2024, with the possibility of extension, and aims to support the national border control forces in managing migration, including prevention, detection and tackling of cross-border crime, as well as in collecting and exchanging operational information and identifying possible risks and threats, bolstering operational cooperation and providing support for the operational capacities.

In 2023, Frontex is expected to deploy more than 100 officers, patrol vehicles and special equipment on the Macedonian-Greek border, significantly boosting the capacities for detecting illegal activities along the border.

On October 26, 2022, the European Union and North Macedonia signed an agreement on operational cooperation in border management with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in the Macedonian language. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovachevski witnessed the signing of the agreement by Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson.