Skopje, 12 October 2025 (MIA) — Sweden’s commitment to EU enlargement has been and remains rock solid and Sweden continues to stand with North Macedonia and all candidate countries that want to join the EU and live up to the Copenhagen criteria, according to Sweden's new ambassador Ola Sohlström in his first interview since becoming Ambassador to North Macedonia.

 

Ambassador Sohlström told MIA that he hoped for progress in membership talks in the coming years, noting that joining the EU would be in the interest of North Macedonia but also of the EU, including neighboring countries.

 

He said he had gotten the impression from his conversations in Skopje that joining the EU was also what most people, especially young people, want.

 

"To back up this commitment, we will also continue our strong bilateral support for North Macedonia’s EU reform efforts. In fact, the overall objective of the Swedish reform cooperation with North Macedonia is precisely that – to assist the country in its EU integration and accession process by providing financial and technical support to the institutions in meeting the Copenhagen criteria," Sohlström said.

 

His other key priorities, the Swedish ambassador said, would be to promote business, investments and growth in both countries as well as the already strong personal contacts between the nations, driven by the Macedonian diaspora in Sweden.

 

"We are also very excited that WizzAir now in October will open direct flights from Skopje to Stockholm Arlanda. This is a fantastic opportunity and will help spur tourism, business and further people-to-people contacts. We already have direct flights to Gothenburg and Malmö – so now all our main three cities are connected to Skopje," he said.

 

Prior to his arrival, Ambassador Sohlström has held positions at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations, the Swedish Mission in Brussels and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Ambassador Sohlström, this month you assumed the position of Ambassador of Sweden to our country. You arrived in Skopje with your family. What are your first impressions?

 

I drove down from Sweden to Skopje with my family in August – a car ferry across the Baltic Sea from Stockholm to Gdansk in Poland, where my wife has relatives, and then onwards through Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Serbia before we finally crossed the border into North Macedonia. The drive was a fun adventure for the whole family, and a terrific way to prepare the children for a new home and life in Skopje (it was also a bit hot at times – this was mid-August!).

 

My first impressions of Skopje and North Macedonia have been great. I have a fantastic team at the Embassy and the Residence who have contributed greatly to a smooth arrival in Skopje, and my family and I have also received a warm welcome in our new neighborhood in Vodno. I have also, in my meetings over the past few weeks with government ministers, fellow Ambassadors, civil society organisations and development partners, been impressed by their openness, drive and good sense of humour. And then there is this thing in Skopje about all the great little coffee places – they are everywhere – which is wonderful for a coffee-lover like me! I really look forward to the coming years in Skopje, as Ambassador of Sweden in North Macedonia – both professionally and personally.

 

 

What will be the focus of your mandate?

 

When I presented my letters of credence to President Siljanovska-Davkova on Sept. 16, I also set out three main priorities for my tenure as Ambassador of Sweden to North Macedonia, all relating to the protection and promotion of Swedish interests in a broad sense, and the strengthening of the solid and sustainable partnership between our two countries.

 

Firstly, I would like to deepen our political partnership. We are partners in Europe, and now also Allies in NATO. We will continue to be a strong supporter of North Macedonia’s journey towards EU integration and accession, and – also in view of the geopolitical situation – further develop our cooperation on security and defence.

 

A second key priority for me will be to promote business, investments, and growth in both our countries – here there is much potential. There are already about 20 Swedish companies present in North Macedonia – in the coming years, I would like to see that number increase. And I would also like to encourage companies and entrepreneurs here to explore opportunities in Sweden.

 

My third priority will be to promote the already strong people-to-people contacts between our nations, driven by – not least – the much-appreciated Macedonian diaspora in Sweden. I would like to see more tourism between our countries, in particular now that we very soon again have direct flights between Skopje and all of Sweden’s main cities.

 

The bilateral relations between Sweden and North Macedonia are excellent. We have had diplomatic relations for 30 years, and we have had an Embassy in Skopje for 20 years. We do much together, and the relationship is strong, sustainable, and genuine. In the coming years we will take it from there, and to the next level!

 

 

Sweden is a traditional and strong supporter of North Macedonia’s aspirations for membership in the European Union. Can Sweden help to unblock the country’s path to the EU, in accordance with the Copenhagen criteria?

 

Sweden’s commitment to EU enlargement has been and remains rock solid. In fact, according to the Eurobarometer opinion poll that was published in September 2025, Sweden is the most “enlargement-friendly” country out of all EU member states, with 79% of respondents being in favour of enlargement. I also have a strong personal commitment to European integration, EU cooperation and the enlargement process, so also from that perspective I hope to see progress during my tenure here.

 

We will continue to stand with North Macedonia, and all candidate countries that want to join the Union and live up to the Copenhagen criteria. A membership of the Union would – I believe – very much be in the interest of North Macedonia but also of the EU, including neighbouring countries, as well as member states further afield, such as Sweden. So hopefully there can be progress in the coming years. My impression from conversations here in Skopje, is that this also is what most people want, not least young people.

 

To back up this commitment, we will also continue our strong bilateral support for North Macedonia’s EU reform efforts. In fact, the overall objective of the Swedish reform cooperation with North Macedonia is precisely that – to assist the country in its EU integration and accession process by providing financial and technical support to the institutions in meeting the Copenhagen criteria. Much of this this support goes to the Ministry of European Affairs to support reform across government, with a special focus on the fundamentals cluster and anti-corruption, but our programme also supports the important work of grassroot organisations, civil society, and independent media – all geared towards EU integration and the Copenhagen criteria. 

 

North Macedonia and Sweden are also allies in NATO. How do you view today’s global challenges in a broader geopolitical context and in the context of EU enlargement, given that the countries of the Western Balkans are still outside the Union?

 

In view of the geopolitical situation, we all need to do more to support Ukraine, confront an aggressive Russia, and build European security – we all need to step up. This requires political will and decisive action at many levels – nationally, bilaterally, in the context of the EU, and within NATO, where we are now Allies. As two countries committed to a rules-based order, North Macedonia and Sweden can play an important role in this work, globally at the UN, regionally in NATO and in the future hopefully fully in the EU, with our close bilateral partnership as a foundation and starting point. Here as elsewhere, we are stronger together.

 

In the EU context, I very much welcome that North Macedonia remains committed to a full alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In the NATO context, I look forward to learning more about Skopje’s priorities and positions and to explore new areas of cooperation, and where I already see much potential for a deepened partnership. 

 

 

Sweden is one of the largest donors to our country. Sweden’s reform cooperation with North Macedonia is part of the regional reform strategy for 2021-2027 for development cooperation in the Western Balkans and Turkey. Can you tell us what the financial support for our country amounts to within this framework, and what are the key areas you are funding?

Our bilateral support in 2025 amounts to around ten million euros, making us one of the largest donors in the country and where the overarching goal is to support North Macedonia in its EU accession process. We are regularly reviewing our priorities and partnerships, in the light of government priorities and a changing political context, but at present our focus is on the following areas: 

— Human rights, democracy, rule of law and gender equality, including institutional capacity building for the EU accession process of North Macedonia, promotion of civil society, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment and support to independent and investigative journalism.

— Peaceful and inclusive societies, including work with youth from different groups and support for community policing. 

— Environmentally and climate-resilient sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources, by sharing Swedish expertise with institutions and supporting civil society to tackle air pollution, improve waste management and strengthen nature protection in North Macedonia. 

— Inclusive economic development, with efforts to support small-scale farmers, spur job-creation for youth and women and support infrastructure investments at the local level.

 

As you can see, our support contributes to work across many sectors of society, all in areas where Sweden’s and North Macedonia’s priorities coincide and where we can cooperate and make progress together. This can on paper become a bit abstract, so let me give you two concrete examples of what we are doing under our reform programme. We have here in North Macedonia supported over 130 energy-poor households to exchange wood stoves with inverters and for improved energy efficiency and thermal comfort of their houses, without polluting indoor and outdoor air. Air pollution and energy poverty are mutually reinforcing, and we are keen to help show the way towards lasting solutions. Secondly, we are supporting skills development for students in vocational high schools to service the modern Volvo trucks – skills that are currently lacking not only in North Macedonia but in the whole region, and again an area where the interests of our two countries coincide. 

 

A new regional strategy to guide our work here in North Macedonia is currently being prepared, and I hope to soon be able to share more on this, and on the way ahead. 

 

 

North Macedonia and Sweden maintain excellent bilateral relations and there is a large Macedonian diaspora in Sweden. How can economic cooperation between the two countries be strengthened?

The Macedonian diaspora in Sweden plays a crucial role in the active exchanges we see across many different areas and sectors. 

As I mentioned, the strengthening of our economic cooperation will be one of my main priorities in the coming years, and this is an area where our Embassy will try to step up our game further. 20 Swedish companies are already present here in North Macedonia (everything from world-leading telecom giant Ericsson, the cutting-edge health provider Diaverum, to the tasty energy bars of Nick’s), but as I also mentioned, I would like to see that company list to increase. Likewise, I would like to encourage more companies from here to explore business opportunities in Sweden. This vision will also be taken forward by a brand-new Swedish-Macedonian chamber of commerce, which will be formally launched in Stockholm on 24 October and which we hope will support further business opportunities between our countries.

 

But trade is a two-way street, and Sweden is also a great market for export and expansion for companies and entrepreneurs who want to grow, not least Stockholm – our capital and my home town – which is one of the start-up capitals of the world (think Spotify, Klarna and others). Success is waiting in Stockholm!

 

We are also very excited that WizzAir now in October will open direct flights from Skopje to Stockholm Arlanda. This is a fantastic opportunity and will help spur tourism, business and further people-to-people contacts. We already have direct flights to Gothenburg and Malmö – so now all our main three cities are connected to Skopje. So here is a message for your readers: go ahead and book yourselves a nice long weekend in Malmö, Gothenburg or Stockholm (or all three, and see which one you like the most!). 

 

 

Who is Ola Sohlström privately?

Ha ha! Many things! Most importantly perhaps, a husband of Veronika and a proud father of three wonderful children – my oldest son is already at university, but my two younger ones are with us here in Skopje and have already made many friends here.

 

I like sports, including football and I am now very much looking forward to catching a Vardar game and to follow North Macedonia’s campaign towards the football World Cup next year (and to follow, from a distance, the efforts of my Swedish football team, Hammarby). I also run a bit – I have completed nine full marathons, but this is already some time ago. I also play tennis (just started!) and piano (not very well!). Beyond this I have a great interest in culture, including music, literature, and theatre, so on the weekends we may very well run into each other at the Opera House or in a bookstore – so far mostly near the English-language section. I have started looking into authors from North Macedonia that are available in translation, and I am building up a reading list.

 

I will in the coming years try to share a bit on social media about the work of the Embassy in Skopje and our life here in North Macedonia. So, I would like to invite your readers to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. You can find the Embassy as @SwedenInMK and me as @SweAmbassdorMK. Please stay in touch with us for updates on anything with a Swedish twist and do send us good ideas and suggestions about how to further strengthen the North Macedonia-Sweden partnership. And please also send me fun suggestions for anything I should try, visit, or eat during my time in Skopje (including of course, anything to do with books, coffee, or football). Let’s stay in touch! 

 

Neda Dimova Prokikj

Photo: Frosina Naskovikj