Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani met Friday with Philip Reeker, US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Matthew Palmer, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and US Special Representative for the Balkans.

To us, the United States is our longtime strategic ally and partner. The US administration’s new approach to reviving the transatlantic partnership creates many opportunities for us to use to foster regional stability. As two NATO allies, the goal is to strengthen our relations in the areas of security, defense, democratic functioning of institutions, the fight against global terrorism, free market economy and to expand the business opportunities of the two countries, Osmani said at the meeting.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the European file of Macedonia was put on the table at the meeting, and it was pointed out that the decision for official start of negotiations with the EU should not be delayed because the country has met all necessary conditions and criteria for that to happen.