State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić on Wednesday met with North Macedonia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Fatmire Isaki, who was visiting Zagreb as the co-chair of Croatia-North Macedonia Mixed Intergovernmental Commission for the Protection of National Minorities.
Metelko-Zgombić welcomed the progress in the status of the Croat minority in North Macedonia, notably the fact that the upcoming census will include a Croat option.
Metelko-Zgombić and Isaki exchanged views on the status of bilateral relations, upcoming high-level visits and the holdup in entry talks with North Macedonia. Isaki thanked for Croatia’s continuous support to North Macedonia’s efforts to start the negotiations, hopeful that the first intergovernmental conference would take place in June or July.
Meteko-Zgombić said North Macedonia should continue with the reforms and reflected on the excellent bilateral cooperation and intensive exchange of high-level visits.
The two officials agreed that economic cooperation should be additionally strengthened, with Isaki inviting Croatian companies to invest in North Macedonia. Conclusively, Isaki thanked the Croatian Government for donating 10,000 vaccines, while Metelko-Zgombić thanked North Macedonia for the financial assistance in the aftermath of the previous year’s earthquake.