As Europe remains divided over Israel, North Macedonia finds new reasons to stand with Jerusalem
DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: North Macedonia's FM says Skopje is prioritizing closer ties with Israel through direct flights, trade and defense cooperation, while warning that Iran also threatens Europe.
North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski visited Israel for a 24-hour trip, despite never having been there before. This visit comes as the two countries' relations have been strengthening. Regular phone calls between the two ministers and mutual collaboration in various sectors have led to this visit. Mucunski hopes that this trip will take their relationship to the next level and foster cooperation in areas of mutual importance, such as agriculture, water management, security, innovation, tourism, health, and education.
One of the key discussions during the visit was about establishing direct flights between Tel Aviv and Skopje or Tel Aviv and Ohrid, North Macedonia's main tourist destination. Mucunski expressed hope that such flights would encourage more Israeli tourists to visit North Macedonia. Moreover, he emphasized that North Macedonia wants to be a gateway for Israeli businesses and investments in Europe, thanks to its strategic location and ongoing infrastructure investments.
The visit also highlighted the growing personal and political ties between the two nations. In January, Macedonian MP Rashela Mizrahi led a parliamentary delegation to Israel, making it the country's first Jewish lawmaker to do so. Skopje Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski also visited Israel in June to discuss various aspects of municipal resilience, water management, and innovation.
Mucunski attributed the increased contacts to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski's priority of strengthening collaboration between North Macedonia and Israel.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
