Skopje, 30 November 2023 (MIA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived Thursday at the 30th OSCE Ministerial Council and was welcomed by Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani but did not give a doorstep statement.

Lavrov's attendance at the summit was made possible after North Macedonia temporarily suspended EU airspace sanctions for Russian aircraft due to the war in Ukraine.

The plane flew over Turkey and Greece, although it was originally planned to fly over Bulgaria, Russian media report. The change in the flight route has been put in place as Bulgaria has refused to open its airspace due to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's presence onboard. The flight has lasted more than five hours. 

Due to Lavrov's attendance, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -  Margus Tsahkna, Krišjānis Kariņš, and Gabrielius Landsbergis, respectively - as well as Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, have decided to boycott the Skopje event.