Skopje, 27 November 2023 (MIA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will represent the United States at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Skopje, North Macedonia, this week, the top State Department official for Europe said on Monday.

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien also told reporters that Blinken, who departed on Monday for Brussels, will highlight the ongoing commitment of the United States and its allies as he takes part in the first foreign minister-level meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council in Brussels, according to the world news agencies.

In a statement on Saturday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani, the current OSCE Chairman-in-Office, confirmed that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the informal dinner of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje.

Osmani, who held a press briefing on the preparations for the Council, could not specify whether the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers would attend the informal dinner. As he stated, the agendas of all ministers are different, so it does not necessarily mean that each of them will be present at the conference for all three days.

"We expect State Secretary Blinken for the informal dinner on November 29. I cannot say at this moment about the dates of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's stay. We cannot expect everyone to stay for the whole three days, since these are important people who come for a certain portion of the event and then leave. I cannot say if their slots will overlap, we are still working on the details," said Osmani.

The informal dinner will focus on the OSCE future and the aggression in Ukraine, whereas the Ministerial Council will also tackle climate change, youth, civil society etc.

The meeting of foreign ministers of the OSCE member states will take place from November 29 to December 1 in Skopje. The current chair of the organization is the Republic of North Macedonia, which will hand over the chairmanship to Malta starting from January 1.

Photo: MIA archive