Skopje, 2 November 2023 (MIA) – Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the ministers' conference "Enlarged, Stronger Europe" in Berlin on Thursday. In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Osmani held separate meetings with his Slovenian and Montenegrin counterparts, Tanja Fajon and Filip Ivanović, as well as with the Minister of State for Europe and Climate to the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Anna Lührmann.

During his meeting with Fajon, Osmani welcomed Slovenia’s support for gradual integration of the candidate states, i.e., the concept of “More Integration before Membership”.

“Slovenia is a strong and open supporter of North Macedonia’s EU accession path, as well as of the membership perspectives of all Western Balkan countries,” stressed Osmani.

Osmani assessed the recently signed joint declaration on enhanced cooperation between North Macedonia and Slovenia as “a very good platform for further intensification of bilateral cooperation.”

The Foreign Minister also voiced satisfaction with the introduction of the Skopje – Ljubljana flights, which, he said, “will further contribute to the introduction of a new dynamic in the economic and trade exchange, as well as to an increase in the volume of tourism.”

The Foreign Minister’s meeting with the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Ivanović, focused on the ongoing reforms in the two countries, the complete alignment with the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and a clear commitment for the realization of EU membership as soon as possible.

“I share the conviction that EU membership in, and before, 2030 is realistic and possible,” said Osmani.

According to the MFA, Osmani informed his Montenegrin counterpart about the process of the constitutional amendments, which would add six communities to the Constitution, including the Montenegrin community.

“The focus of Osmani’s meeting with Lührmann was the traditional partnership between North Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Germany, the important cooperation within NATO, the UN, and OSCE, as well as the support for North Macedonia’s European integration,” said the MFA in the press release.

Photo: MFA