North Macedonia Becomes Full Member of Union for the Mediterranean

Church of St. Clement of Ohrid in Skopje (Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

North Macedonia became a full member of the Union for the Mediterranean on Nov. 24, an organization that rallies all EU members and Mediterranean countries which are not members.

According to the statement of the Foreign Ministry of North Macedonia, the decision was made unanimously by the foreign ministers of 42 member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean, within that multilateral project's Regional Forum, held in Barcelona. During his address at the accession ceremony, North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani expressed gratitude for the recognition of North Macedonia's true interest in joining the Union for the Mediterranean, and for the demonstrated trust.

"Our participation in the Union for the Mediterranean as a platform for regional cooperation and dialogue will enable us, as a country that has initiated the EU membership negotiations, to better connect and integrate into the European structures that cover the Mediterranean basin, and to have appropriate interaction with countries of the European Union and those of the southern and eastern Mediterranean," Osmani said.

He pointed out that North Macedonia, with its tradition of inter-ethnic dialogue, cohesion and peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes, contributed to stability in South East Europe by promoting European values, good neighborly relations, regional cooperation and the culture of dialogue.