Skopje, 14 April 2025 (MIA) - Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska expects to meet with US counterparts and discuss tariffs among other things during her visit to the United States next week for the 2025 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Minister reiterated that the US tariff decision does not have significant negative implications on the country, stressing that it is more affected indirectly, through its trade with the European Union. 

The Minister said she believes the country could see the situation as an opportunity and begin exporting directly to the United States as a result of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski's "very good communication with high officials in Washington".

“I expect to have meetings at the U.S. Department of the Treasury where we will try to discuss and see what we can do as a direct change, but I’ve said this several times, we don’t feel significant negative effects or implication from the direct trade with the US. The problems for us arise as a result of the trade we have with the EU, and the EU with the US. So, we need to monitor the developments in the EU. Two days ago I came back from the [Delphi] Economic Forum in Greece where there were over 400 panelists and there was almost no panel that didn’t discuss the developments in the US. I think things will change a bit there as well. You can see that there was a reduction in the tariffs. Ten percent tariffs is something the citizens of the US can accept as well, with everyone in the supply chain taking up some of the expenses. The situation now is completely different, and I expect there to be changes in these 10 percent as well. Perhaps we will also be able to use this as a country, considering the Prime Minister’s very good communication with high officials in Washington. I expect we can use this to our benefit, and why not even start exporting directly to the US,” Dimitrieska-Kochoska said.

Photo: MIA