The Foreign Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani took part in the virtual ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism organized by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Heiko Maas, in the margins of the 75th United Nations General Assembly.  “As 30th NATO member state an in anticipation of the formal start of negotiations for EU accession by the end of the year, North Macedonia with new commitment and determination will continue with its efforts to promote security, stability and sustainable development, globally and regionally, together with its allies and partners” underlined Minister Osmani, reaffirming the commitment of the country to multilateral cooperation, as one of the key priorities of the foreign policy of North Macedonia.  At the ministerial meeting, dedicated to the strengthening of multilateralism, strong support was voiced for international cooperation, international legal order and international institutions in the function of joint and coordinated tackling of global challenges, with a special focus on the pandemic. Furthermore, several initiatives were considered in relation to international cooperation in the field of healthcare, climate change, cyber-security, and gender aspects. North Macedonia acceded to the Alliance for Multilateralism in 2019.

  Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani today had a video meeting with the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg. On this occasion, Schallenberg extended congratulations to Osmani and wished him success in his new position. “For us, Austria’s interest as an immediate neighbour of the Western Balkan region is of special importance, particularly the key role that your country played during the Austrian chairmanship with the EU, a period when this country made a serious step forward in its European integration. In this stage of the integration as well we are grateful for the principled views that you have for the European perspective of the country”, Osmani said, emphasising the expected support from Austria for the European perspectives of the Republic of North Macedonia in the upcoming period, especially in the context of European dynamism in the enlargement process during the German chairmanship. “Our expectations from the German chairmanship are high, and the Government is actively working on finalisation of the negotiating structure, as key preparation for quality start of the negotiations this year”, Osmani emphasised. The two ministers agreed that the continuation of the EU enlargement policy will be a positive signal for the whole region and its European perspective, and at the same time it will create an atmosphere of deepening friendly relations with our neighbours and intensification of regional cooperation. Osmani briefed Schallenberg on the expectations from the ambitious agenda for the upcoming Sofia Summit within the framework of the Berlin Process that will bring significant tangible benefits for the region: the economic and investment programme of the EC for the Western Balkans, the new generation of the regional common market as well as an initiative for reaching a regional agreement for free travel using personal ID cards. The interlocutors also exchanged opinions about migration issues and economic cooperation and the great potential for its further broadening.

  The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, took part in the regular ministerial meeting of the Central European Initiative (CEI) member states, dedicated to finding ways to more successfully adapt to the new normal in the ongoing and post-COVID-19 period. - The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable we are as countries when facing the challenges it produced, and this particularly rings true for us, the countries of Southeast Europe. However, at the same time, the pandemic has indeed demonstrated that we possess both the will and the capacity for taking a European approach to addressing these challenges through effective cooperation, as well as cooperation with the institutions of the European Union, said Minister Osmani, outlining the challenges that lie ahead for the region in the coming period such as  enabling free travel for citizens and uninterrupted transport; strengthening trade and opening tourism capacities as an element of economic cooperation; exchanging information and best practices within health protocols, and building epidemiological knowledge. - As a new government, we have set good neighbourly relations highest on the list of our foreign policy priorities while placing a special emphasis on intensifying and supporting regional cooperation, which corresponds to the topic of this current forum, said Osmani, stressing that regional cooperation should be seen through the prism of and in support of the EU enlargement policy towards the countries of the Western Balkans, for which he expressed his hope that it will remain a priority of the Union over the forthcoming period. In their addresses at the Meeting, the CEI Ministers emphasized that the main priority in dealing with the pandemic remains the health of the citizens and minimizing the consequences on the health systems, but at the same time they emphasized that restarting the economy and addressing the social implications of the economic downturn are becoming key challenges in the period and lying ahead.

The Ministerial Video Conference is part of the regular annual meetings organized by the CEI Chairmanship-in-office. In addition to the Foreign Ministers of the 18 member states of the Initiative, the conference was attended by other senior representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Health Organization, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the Regional Cooperation Council and the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi .