The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced Thursday that upon a suggestion made by the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM), it has decided to suspend its planned week-long campaign to promote the country’s OSCE Chairpersonship through web banners.

The OSCE chairpersonship represents the largest foreign political project with which the Republic of Macedonia will present itself to the international public, but also a project that has significance and influence on the overall internal political development of the country. As we have already informed, hiring an agency during the OSCE presidency is a regular job for every chairpersonship of the organization, and the activities that are foreseen are not for PR, but for an organized approach to the challenges of strategic communication of the country as a country – chairperson of the largest regional security organization. In addition to Strategic Communication, the engagement of the Agency mostly refers to the support of the Council of Ministers, a complex project that foresees the organized presence and activities of over 70 delegations from all over the world, which are expected to be led at the highest diplomatic level, at the level of Ministers of foreign affairs. Within the first days of assuming the chairpersonship, web banners were temporarily set up, which are of an informative and educational nature and through them, neither the ministry nor its work is promoted in any way. This move does not contradict the active legal practices and Article 102 of the Audio and Audiovisual Media Services Agency Law on the placement of funds with broadcasters. Regardless of the legal possibilities, following the suggestion that came today from AJM, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will stop the planned one-week campaign through the use of web banners. In the interest of transparent operation, possible future activities from a communication aspect will be done in coordination with journalist associations and other representatives of the civil sector, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.