In Ohrid, Minister Rau took part in the second edition of the Prespa Forum Dialogue, a conference organised by the government of North Macedonia. The conference aims to inspire and promote good neighbourly relations and cooperation. The chief of Polish diplomacy attended the opening panel, devoted to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

“In the current difficult security context, it is more important than ever to continue to strengthen the ties between the EU and the Western Balkans and to tackle together the challenges caused by the Russian aggression, whether in the area of energy and food security, increasing resilience to disinformation and hybrid threats, or the management of the Russian invasion’s economic aftermath. This concerns in particular the countries that have taken a firm stand on supporting rules-based international order by adhering to the sanctions adopted by the European Union towards Russia and, consequently, exposing themselves to more external threats,” said Minister Rau.

Also, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office met with North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani. The talks covered the process of the accession negotiations between North Macedonia and the European Union as well as cooperation in the context of Skopje’s taking over of the OSCE Chairmanship after Poland in 2023.

Minister Rau also spoke with UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the OSCE Michael R. Carpenter. Moreover, he held talks with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid and President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani. 

 

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Press Spokesperson

 

Photo: S. Indra/B. Peterman MFA