Despite the significant concessions related to North Macedonia's progress in its European integration, the country remains committed to protecting its national interests and identity, said in a conversation with representatives of the Atlantic Council's European Center in Washington, where he was a guest, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski, BTA reported.
"He emphasized relations with (the country's) neighbors, especially Greece and Bulgaria, and shared his views on the future of the Western Balkans, in the context of integration into the European Union,", the media in North Macedonia inform.
"I especially emphasized the role of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, as a guarantor of human rights and the rule of law, emphasizing that our country respects all its decisions," he wrote on his profile on the social network "Facebook" tonight Mickoski.
A little later, again on "Facebook", he also announced that he had met with Frederick Kemp - President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, with whom they discussed "current geopolitical challenges, the role of (North) Macedonia in Euro-Atlantic integration and the possibilities for deepening cooperation in the future", and the meeting was "an excellent opportunity to exchange opinions and ideas with one of the leading experts in international relations".
"Visible and invisible meetings: Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski is visiting the US for the third time in a short period of time and there is little public information about his meetings and activities there", is the subtitle of the publication in which "Deutsche Welle" informed earlier today about the visit of Hristijan Mickoski to Washington, where he traveled immediately after the Munich Security Conference, together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia Timcho Mucunski.
"We have an idea, we have a plan, Macedonia has friends", was the only message before his activities tonight, which Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski published on social networks, informing that he had met with Alexander Kasanoff, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Balkans.
"We discussed the situation in the country, European integration and the obstacles the country faces in this regard", Mickoski wrote.
The media in North Macedonia recall that this is the third visit to the US of the country's Prime Minister since the formation of his government. He attended the NATO summit in July last year, and in January this year he traveled to attend the inauguration of the new US President Donald Trump. According to a brief statement from the government press service, the purpose of his current visit is to participate in the Conservative Political Action Congress.
In response to a journalistic question yesterday, government spokeswoman Maria Miteva said that Mickoski has been invited to the United States as Prime Minister and is expected to hold bilateral meetings, about which the public will be informed.
As reported by "Voice of America", the three-day meeting of the conservatives is expected to be addressed by US President Donald Trump and politicians from Argentina, Great Britain, Poland and Italy.
The congress is hosted by US Vice President J.D. Vance and, in addition to the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson, the event will be addressed by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Argentine President Javier Milley and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as well as Trump's envoy for special missions Richard Grenell, former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, far-right British politician Nigel Farage, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and far-right French politician Jordan Bardella.
"In the absence of more detailed information about the meetings, the dilemma arises with whom the prime minister will meet and what will be discussed behind closed doors. The expectations are that Mickoski, as on his last visit to the US, will also seek support from the strategic partner for the country's integration process. US Ambassador to the country Angela Ageler said on Wednesday (19.02) that the US cannot give guarantees for (North Macedonia's) path to the EU because it is not a member of the European Union, but is pleased that Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski is on a new visit to Washington, writes "Deutsche Welle".
The publication recalls that while the opposition SDSM criticizes Mickoski's repeated trips to the US, which "do not bring anything good to either the citizens or the state", according to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, they create "really strong ties, friendships, which are very important for the future of the country".