Skopje, 15 February 2026 (MIA) — The country has made a series of decisions and concluded agreements of exceptional importance for its strategic positioning in the past 20 months, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski told the press at the Munich Security Conference, according to an official press release.

"Firstly, the Security and Defense Partnership with the European Union. We were the first country in the region to sign this agreement," Mucunski said, adding that a strategic partnership with the United Kingdom followed as well as the completion of the post-monitoring by the Council of Europe. 

"The fourth key document is the Joint Statement on Reciprocal Trade with the United States of America, which provides a clear path to a reciprocal trade agreement," the foreign minister said.

He pointed out that the agreement maintained the 15% tariff, which is lower compared to many countries in the world, but also opened up the possibility of tariffs of 0% for specific products exported to the US. 

"The goal is better conditions for our business as well as developing other strategic relations with the US in the area of ​​energy and digital transformation," Mucunski said.

The top diplomat also said European and American representatives at the Munich Security Conference urged Europe to restore its values.

"The main message is that Europe needs to go back to its core values ​​— not only in the security context but also in the civilizational context. It is necessary to strengthen the security architecture but also to reexamine policies that have contributed to the decline of the continent's economic power," Mucunski said.

He added that the US was sending a clear message of partnership and cooperation, "which is important from the point of view of our collective security and the future of NATO as an alliance." 

"At the same time," he said, "it is time we understood that the geopolitical era we have grown accustomed to in recent decades has changed and that we, as a state, need to clearly position ourselves in line with new global trends." mr/