Skopje, 26 September 2023 (MIA) — Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Economic Affairs, Coordination of Economic Departments and Investments Fatmir Bytyqi met Tuesday in Washington with David de Falco, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia at the US Department of Commerce.

They discussed boosting economic cooperation between North Macedonia and the United States, especially in the fields of energy, ICT, agriculture, transport and the defense industry, an official press release said.

Bytyqi noted that trade between North Macedonia and the United States was on the rise.

"Between January and July 2023, the exchange of goods recorded an increase of 3.8 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. These are very optimistic figures that speak of the potential of cooperation, which could be even greater," he added.

At the meeting, Bytyqi also talked about creating a strong regional value chain, which would significantly improve North Macedonia's competitiveness.

De Falco said North Macedonia was a strategic political and economic partner of the US and added that the cooperation would deepen in the near future. mr/