The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, received today in Ohrid his Croatian counterpart, Andrej Plenkovic, who is on an official visit to the country, Anadolu reports.

After the meeting, the two Prime Ministers signed an agreement on strategic cooperation between the two governments, which, as it was assessed, marks the beginning of a new phase in bilateral relations.

In addition to the strategic cooperation agreement, a cooperation agreement was also signed between the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Mineral Resources of Macedonia and the Ministry of Economy of Croatia.

At the joint press conference, Mickoski emphasized that Croatia is a close partner, friendly country and ally of NATO, with which North Macedonia shares common interests and a vision for a stable and European Western Balkans.

“We are particularly pleased that we are raising our cooperation to a higher level by signing the agreement of strategic cooperation between the two governments. This agreement is more than a diplomatic act and represents a framework for a long-term partnership,” Mickoski said.

He emphasized that the agreement will enable more intensive cooperation in several strategic areas, including transport, energy, industry, the IT sector, health, education, public security, defense, cyber security and border management.

According to Mickoski, the agreement also opens up space for deeper cooperation between institutions, companies, investors, the academic community and the civil society sector of both countries. Mickoski added that he and Plenkovic also discussed economic relations, investments, regional security and current geopolitical developments.

One of the main topics of the talks was the European integration of North Macedonia. Mickoski estimated that the road to the European Union is loaded with unprecedented blockades, which, according to him, question the integrity of the process.

Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, said that Croatia remains a strong and continuous supporter of the European integration of North Macedonia. He assessed that the current situation is unfair and expressed Zagreb’s readiness to help unblock the process and lead North Macedonia towards EU membership.

Source: prizrenpost