Blinken will not meet Lavrov at meetings in Skopje

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday in Skopje that North Macedonia could count on the US as a strong partner.

Blinken arrived in Skopje on the evening of 29 November, where he met with North Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Bujar Osmani.

“It’s wonderful to be here in Skopje, to be in North Macedonia, to be with all our colleagues. North Macedonia is an ally and partner of the US and all our NATO allies. We see it every day,” Blinken said.

“We strongly support the work you are doing to strengthen democratic institutions, we strongly support the work you are doing to introduce energy diversification in the region and beyond, which I think has a major impact. You can count on the United States as a strong partner in all this,” Blinken said.

The US highly appreciates North Macedonia’s contribution as an ally in NATO, as well as in the regional context as a factor for stability in the Western Balkans, the US Secretary of State said.

Blinken also indicated that “the US will continue to support North Macedonia in its next steps to ensure EU membership”, while expressing great respect for the government’s courageous and statesmanship decisions in achieving this goal, the government of North Macedonia said. .

Minister of Foreign Affairs Osmani thanked Blinken for his exceptional support during the OSCE presidency.

“I would like to inform you that we have solved the critical existential challenges for the OSCE Presidency in 2024. I would like to thank Malta and all participating countries for their support,” said Osmani at the start of the meeting with Blinken.

On the afternoon of 29 November, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski also met US Secretary of State Blinken in Skopje.

After meeting with Osmani, US Secretary of State Blinken will attend a working dinner organised in the margins of the OSCE Summit starting on 30 November.

According to diplomatic sources, Blinken is leaving North Macedonia after dinner, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will arrive in Skopje this evening.

The thirtieth OSCE Ministerial Summit will take place in Skopje from 30 November to 1 December.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is leading the Russian delegation to the summit.

North Macedonia has suspended the ban on Russian flights to allow the Russian delegation to participate in the OSCE Summit, although general sanctions for other flights remain in place.

Brussels closed its airspace for Russian flights a few days after Moscow started the war against Ukraine in February 2022. The same was done by North Macedonia, which claims it will join the bloc.

But Lavrov was invited to attend the OSCE summit after the Macedonian Foreign Ministry allowed it, and Bulgaria then opened airspace to Lavrov’s aircraft.

“The decision on EU sanctions does not apply to multilateral events such as the OSCE, and therefore the government’s decision,” Osmani said.

On the evening of 29 November, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski will receive Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy.

Most ministers will attend an informal dinner and will discuss two topics: aggression towards Ukraine and the functioning of the OSCE, North Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani announced./RSE/