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The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius visited Skopje, North Macedonia, and the Albanian capital of Tirana together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Jacek Czaputowicz, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, and the Undersecretary for European Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Märt Volmer.

The Foreign Ministers met with the President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, the Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski, the President of Albania Ilir Meta, the Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov, the Acting Foreign Minister of Albania Gent Cakaj, members of the Foreign Policy Committee and the European Integration Committee of the Parliament of Albania.

The Foreign Ministers expressed their strong support for the EU aspirations of North Macedonia and Albania, and discussed the countries’ progress, possible practical support, the political situation in the region of the Western Balkans, met with the representatives of the academic community of Skopje and Tirana, discussed the challenges of the Euro-Atlantic integration of North Macedonia and Albania, and shared the EU accession experience of the Baltic states and Poland.

“North Macedonia and Albania’s membership is important not only for these two countries, but also for the European Union. For these countries, it is essential to remain motivated, to continue implementing reforms and demonstrating that these reforms are sustainable and irreversible", said Minister L. Linkevičius.

After a 27-year name row, North Macedonia reached the Prespa Agreement on 17 June 2018. The international community had demanded the agreement, but the EU countries failed to open accession talks. This dealt a serious blow to both North Macedonia and to the credibility of the EU. The purpose of this visit is to show support and solidarity for the integration aspirations of both countries.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister noted that the Baltic states and the countries belonging to the Western Balkans were facing similar security challenges. L. Linkevičius also called for enhancing resilience against hybrid threats and for strengthening strategic communication. According to the Foreign Minister, Lithuania has expertise in the fields of hybrid threats, cybersecurity, and strategic communication, and is ready to share this experience and expertise with North Macedonia. The Foreign Minister called on the country to continue to adhere to EU values and principles of foreign policy, and to work towards a comprehensive convergence of positions.

Photos: Tymon Markowski / Polish MFA