Belgrade, 4 September 2024 (MIA) — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Relations Between the Ethnic Communities Ivan Stoiljkovikj, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Aleksandar Nikoloski, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski met today in Belgrade with Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić and Minister of Domestic and Foreign Trade Tomislav Momirović, MIA's Belgrade correspondent reports.

Meeting participants discussed possibilities for further developing friendly relations based on common history and close cultural ties. Highlighting parliamentary cooperation, they expressed mutual satisfaction that a parliamentary group for friendship with Serbia was formed in North Macedonia's Parliament. This initiative, they said, would further strengthen political and diplomatic ties, providing new opportunities for improving dialogue between the countries, according to MIA's correspondent quoting the official press release.

Brnabić stressed the importance of North Macedonia as an economic partner of Serbia, both in external trade and investment cooperation, and of the Protocol signed in Skopje making it possible to establisha free labor market as part of the Open Balkans initiative. This, she said, was to contribute to improving the business environment and solving the labor shortage problem.

Deputy Prime Minister Stoiljkovikj, too, welcomed cooperation opportunities and said the strong ties between the two nations were a solid foundation for promoting cooperation at all levels. He added that the state would actively take part in the upcoming EXPO 2027 as another important step toward strengthening mutual relations and promoting the region.

At the end of the meeting, participants pledged to focus on implementing specific projects and initiatives aimed at promoting ties between Serbia and North Macedonia and thus contributing to regional stability and prosperity.

After the Brnabić meeting, the Macedonian delegation met with Minister Momirović. Meeting participants confirmed that there were no open issues between the two countries and that the focus should be placed on the economy.

The Serbian trade minister voiced support for the Macedonian participation at EXPO 2027. Also, Minister Momirović said a meeting of the two countries' chambers of commerce should be organized in the near future. mr/