The visit to Skopje by the counselor of the State Department, Derek Chollet, comes at a crucial moment for the region and for Europe. This is yesterday’s assessment after the meeting of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski with Chollet. The Prime Minister believes that our strong strategic partnership with the US is of great importance in the year ahead, which is filled with challenges both here and globally. Despite the fact that Chollet and Kovacevski discussed the fight against corruption, the “black list” of the US for sanctions was not mentioned at the meeting in the government building.

At the meeting, the great support from the US in the further progress of Macedonia was emphasized and it was assessed that the traditional, sincere and long-standing friendship with the US has great significance in the development of the country’s democratic, reform and integration processes.

It was also affirmed that the strategic partnership of Macedonia with the US is strong support for all important processes for the democratic future of the country and for the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens.

At the meeting, Kovacevski and Chollet discussed the progress that has been made in the past years in terms of the fight against corruption and the challenges of the state to achieve the goal of a supreme rule of law at the EU level as an aspirant for membership in the Union in 2030.

With Chollet, they also discussed the European path of the state, the great importance of political stability in the country and the implementation of all reforms, the making of decisions that mean the integration of the state into the EU and the constitutional amendments. According to the Prime Minister, from the very beginning of our independence, the United States has always supported us in making all such decisions – with the start of negotiations with the EU, membership in NATO, and with the smooth progress of negotiations with the EU.

Among the key topics discussed with the counselor of the State Department is the handling of the economic and energy crisis during the implementation of all measures, but also during the provision of everything necessary for the uninterrupted supply of electricity with subsidized purposes.

The list of sanctions or the so-called “black list” was not the topic of the meeting. Yesterday, during the visit to the Pekabesko company, the Prime Minister clarified that this is an activity carried out by the United States within the framework of its Strategy for the fight against corruption published by the American President, which precisely states the activities that are undertaken in relation to the rule of law and the fight against corruption both in the United States and in countries that are their partners, such as Macedonia.