Skopje, 27 March 2023 (MIA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani hosted a traditional NATO breakfast on Monday marking the beginning of NATO days in North Macedonia.

“Today, in the presence of our allies and partners, North Macedonia marks three years of NATO membership, while on April 4 we will mark the 74th anniversary since the founding of NATO or NATO Day. By doing so, we continue the tradition of holding NATO Days each year from March 27 through to April 4 in honor of our joint successes and achievements, but also the challenges that the Alliance has faced over the year,” stressed Osmani.

The Foreign Minister pointed out the benefits of North Macedonia’s NATO membership, assessing it as a historic success and as the country’s most significant foreign policy achievement. He stressed that North Macedonia’s NATO membership is especially important for regional security and stability, especially in the context of the current security challenges.

 “The Western Balkan region is especially exposed to strategic competition and malicious influence of third parties who are trying to exploit the weaknesses and the incomplete Euro-Atlantic integration in order to fulfill their own strategic interests. The solution lies in strengthened democratic reforms in order to boost resiliency, but also in strengthened and coordinated cooperation between NATO and the EU aimed at completing the region’s Euro-Atlantic integration and democratic transformation,” said Osmani.

In his introductory address, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski pointed to the foreign direct investments which in 2022 reached EUR 753.8 million, doubling the figure from 2016, as well as the creation of over 10.000 jobs in the technological industrial development zones, as part of the benefits of the country’s NATO membership, as a result of which, according to Kovachevski, North Macedonia is no longer a cheap labor country.

“With the country’s NATO membership and the beginning of EU negotiations, with the concept for an equal society at home, with the brave, but statesmanlike decisions with which we have secured our national identity and its unique features, with functional policies of dialogue and understanding, North Macedonia today is a factor of stability in the Western Balkans. And it is clear that the Euro-Atlantic orientation of the region is necessary for European peace, stability and prosperity,” stressed the PM.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ambassador of Ukraine, Larysa Dir, also addressed the event as a special guest. In her address, the Ambassador expressed her gratitude for the assistance provided by North Macedonia to Ukraine, stressing that it is of vital importance for the Ukrainian soldiers, who, she said, are defending Ukraine and democratic values at the cost of their own lives.

The event was attended by high government officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps and other significant institutions in the country. ad/sk/