Skopje, 9 February 2024 (MIA) - Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani told a press briefing on Friday that North Macedonia's citizens stranded abroad due to passport issuance problem will be allowed re-entry with an emergency travel document after the Feb. 12 deadline by which old passports need to be replaced with new ones bearing the new name of the country. The emergency travel document will be issued with diplomatic-consular offices. 

Osmani said there is no room for panic, the diplomatic-consular offices will work two shifts, as well as on Saturday and Sunday, adding that a surge of applications for emergency travel documents is seen in Germany.

"There are also two new mobile stations for issuing travel documents in Germany. The biggest inrush is in Bonn, where over 6,000 emergency travel documents have been issued. Then in Bern, Berlin, Munich, Venice, Rome and Ljubljana," said Osmani. 

He noted that in the countries where North Macedonia does not have diplomatic-consular office, i.e. in Africa where there is only one in Cairo, work is underway on an e-consulate and emergency travel documents will be sent via email.

On Feb. 12, the transitional period of the Prespa Agreement, Article 6, expires. Osmani says there is a clear political will from both North Macedonia and Greece to continue with the full implementation of the Prespa Agreement.

Photo: MIA