Skopje, 24 August 2023 (MIA) — North Macedonia's strategic partnership with the United States of America is based on mutual trust and understanding, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski wrote in a Facebook post welcoming to Skopje US Department of State's Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Special Representative to the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar.

"The support from the USA in all pivotal moments for our country is meaningful. Our strategic partnership with the US is based on mutual trust. And we continue to develop it through mutual understanding on all important issues of common and strategic interest. I am looking forward to a productive meeting tomorrow," PM Kovachevski wrote.

After their meeting, Kovachevski and Escobar will hold a press conference together.

The US special envoy will also have a meeting with VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski.

Escobar's arrival in Skopje follows the start of the parliamentary procedure on updating the Constitution to include Bulgarians into the list of communities living in the country as a condition for North Macedonia to hold its second intergovernmental session with the EU and continue membership negotiations.

Earlier on Thursday, he had a meeting with President Stevo Pendarovski, during which he expressed official Washington's expectation that North Macedonia would continue on its path to full membership in the European Union. mr/