Brussels/Skopje, 22 May 2023 (MIA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani participated Monday in the informal meeting of foreign ministers of the European Union's members states and the Western Balkan countries in Brussels, as part of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council, chaired by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the talks focused on the current situation in the Western Balkan countries and their Euro-integration processes in the context of the unjustified Russian aggression on Ukraine.

Osmani reaffirmed the country’s position as a trustworthy partner in the implementation of the foreign policy of the EU and the transatlantic partners, noting that North Macedonia has fully aligned itself with the EU’s approach to Ukraine, providing significant military, economic and political support for its independence and sovereignty, but also its European path, said the press release.

“The Russian aggression on Ukraine highlighted the urgency of combining the internal and transformative nature of the enlargement policy with its unavoidable foreign policy dimension. Our common interest is to identify the most efficient ways of tackling the influence of non-democratic, third countries in the heart of Europe. Strategic determination over an accelerated integration of the region within the EU is necessary,” said the Foreign Minister.

Osmani stressed that not only is North Macedonia investing all of its efforts in the fulfillment of the Union’s membership criteria, but it has also “become an example in the entire region, as a result of its culture of dialogue and solving open disputes through compromises.”

“Although we are not directly on the battlefield, we are still on the battlefield of narratives and disinformation. Therefore, we must avoid these attempts, and we should create opportunities for reconciliation, dialogue, overcoming the legacy of the past and solution of disputes with understanding, respect and mutually acceptable solutions,” stressed Osmani.

On the sidelines of the meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council, Osmani held a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, during which they spoke about the excellent progress of the screening process and the need to adopt the constitutional changes in order to resume the accession talks.

During his working visit to Brussels, Foreign Minister Osmani also met with the Director of Strategy at the Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe, Dharmendra Kanani, with whom they signed a memorandum of cooperation regarding the organization of the Prespa Forum Dialogue, set to be held on June 15 and 16 in Struga. 

Photo: MFA