Skopje, 26 May 2023 (MIA) — The USA will continue supporting North Macedonia in its aspirations, especially for EU membership, as part of the strategic partnership and mutual support given since the first day of the country's independence, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said after his meeting with US Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Prime Minister Kovachevski said this was his second meeting with Senator Murphy after he had first met with him less than three weeks ago in Washington during his visit to the USA. This, he said, was telling of the senator's strong commitment to the region and his personal support of North Macedonia.

"There is no doubt we have a road ahead of us paved with difficult and brave decisions," Kovachevski said. "On this road, we have the USA's strong support. Any friendship that assures us we are on the right track is extremely important for our country."

The prime minister said adopting the EU-required constitutional changes was not a decision to be made by one person, one government, or one political party, but by all political stakeholders.

"We need to make sure our citizens can live in an EU member state. Our country used to be a part of the former Yugoslav federation. At that time, we had a higher living standard than Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria and all other countries that have become EU member states since," Kovachevski said.

"I will make and spearhead all necessary decisions providing that North Macedonia's citizens once again have a higher standard than all those citizens we used to have a higher standard than. Because our citizens deserve it. I am also counting on our strategic partners, primarily the USA and EU member states, to support us along the way," he said.

It is thanks to this support from friendly countries such as the USA, Kovachevski said, that North Macedonia in its three decades of independence had turned from a country aided by international peace missions into a country that was now a factor of stability in the Western Balkans, a NATO member country, a country holding the OSCE Chairpersonship-in-Office, a country that opened negotiations with the EU, and a country hosting negotiations between other countries.

Over the past 30 years, Kovachevski said, the US had strongly supported the country's democracy, good governance, fight against corruption, and economic development.

This partnership, he said, was also reflected in the trade with the USA, which reached a quarter of a billion dollars in 2022.

"Currently, we have 12 large American companies from the USA, but also from Canada, from the North American continent. Most companies are from the automotive industry, but some are from the energy and electronics industries. Let me mention Lear, Dura, Adient, but also Bechtel and Enka, which will work on the largest infrastructure project in the history of our country," Kovachevski said.

Thanking Senator Murphy for his support and trust in the government, PM Kovachevski reiterated the country's resolve to stay the course toward European integration and development. mr/