Skopje, 2 June 2022 (MIA) — Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani on a working visit to the United States had a meeting with Karen Donfried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the US Department of State. According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they expressed satisfaction that North Macedonia and the United States are holding a Strategic Dialogue to strengthen the strategic partnership and upgrade the bilateral relations between the two countries. At the same time, the alliance between the two countries was welcomed, especially within NATO, as extremely important amid current security challenges. “In the current circumstances, the United States and its stronger presence in the Western Balkans is essential to preserving regional stability. "Additionally, the new geopolitical reality stresses the need to accelerate the European and Euro-Atlantic processes of the Western Balkan countries, which is also a guarantee for regional and European stability and security and limits the influence of third countries,” FM Osmani said during the meeting. Osmani and Donfried strongly condemned the Russian military invasion of Ukraine as an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and a serious threat to world peace, security and stability. mr/