Skopje, 24 November 2022 (MIA) – Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, who is participating in the Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean held in Barcelona, had bilateral meetings with his Spanish and Portuguese counterparts, Jose Manuel Albares and Joao Gomes Cravinho respectively, his office said.

The country’s accession into the Union for the Mediterranean was welcomed at the meetings with its participants stressing the importance of regional dialogue and cooperation for building strong societies in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

“During the meeting with his host, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Osmani focused on the two foreign policy priorities of our country in the coming period – the European dossier in view of the Spanish EU presidency in the second half of 2023 and the OSCE chairmanship as well as the partnership within NATO,” said the press release.

Informing about the Spanish presidency with the Council of the EU in the second half of 2023 and the European Political Community meeting, due in the autumn of 2023 in Spain, Minister Albares said Spain remains a vocal supporter of North Macedonia’s EU accession process.

“Talks with the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Joao Gomes Cravinho, focused on the intensified political dialogue after Minister Cravinho’s visit to North Macedonia this past July as well as the excellent multilateral cooperation, with an accent on our taking over of the OSCE presidency next year,” stated the press release.

The two ministers confirmed their countries’ NATO partnership with the Portuguese Foreign Minister once again reaffirm the strong support for the country’s accelerated integration into the EU.