Skopje, 7 April 2022 (MIA) – The Western Balkan region is an integral part of Europe’s future security structure. Therefore, Euro-Atlantic and European perspective of the Western Balkans is a security issue and a tool for strengthening the stability. We send a clear message for the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania as soon as possible, which is crucial for preserving regional and European security, said Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani at NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday. The sessions tackled the security developments amid the Russian military invasion in Ukraine and activities undertaken to guarantee the security of NATO member states, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. FMs also discussed the development of NATO’s Strategic Concept to respond to new geopolitical reality and set future strategic vision for the Alliance. At a special session attended by the foreign ministers of the partner countries as well as the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, at a special session discussed NATO relations with the partners and ways to further strengthen the cooperation and support of the Alliance, in order to strengthen the their resilience. In addition, Osmani strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, especially the horrible killings of civilians and called for an immediate ceasefire, reaffirming our solidarity with Ukraine. He stressed the need to further strengthen NATO's presence in the Western Balkans, as a region exposed to increased influence from third countries, reads the press release. At the meeting sidelines, Osmani met with his counterparts from Finland and Slovakia.