At a press-conference on Saturday, Hristijan Mickoski and UK Ambassador Matthew Lawson announced the Strategic Partnership and Government-2-Government Agreement aligned the previous day in Tirana between North Macedonia’s PM and his counterpart, Keir Starmer.
Describing the Agreement as a big and irreversible step forward, as well as as architecture for the future, Mickoski, at the press-conference, stated that both countries shared the values of freedom, democracy, and rule of law.
The Partnership will open the door to the highest level of cooperation in defence, fighting organised crime and illegal finance, education, healthcare, culture, economic development, and youth policies, according to the PM. The deal will be the basis of an investment cycle of five billion pounds (around six billion euros).
Some of the funds will be used for infrastructure projects, such as building a modern cargo and quick passenger railway link from Tabanovce to Gegelija, investments in the health sector, including the completion of the Stip clinical hospital project, with a new medical faculty and residence hall, building a hospital in Kicevo, and reconstructing the Tetovo Clinical Hospital.
The agreements on those investments are expected to be signed in the coming days. Mickoski also stated that the Agreement was the second key pillar of his country’s international positioning, following the strategic partnership with the US, stressing that it confirmed stability, security, and the European future.
Ambassador Lawson denied speculations that the Agreement would see migrant camps built in North Macedonia. As he explained, investments, economic growth, mutually beneficial joint action, as well as strengthening the already excellent trade partnership are the essence of the Partnership.
Cooperation in the field of migration will concern exclusively support in fighting criminal gangs, sharing intelligence information, and joint work by police forces, as part of a broader European Initiative, the Ambassador explained.
When it comes to the matter of potential facilitation of visa regime for citizens of North Macedonia, Ambassador Lawson stated that the great migration pressure in his country made the topic a politically sensitive one, adding nonetheless that talks on all matters would continue and that visas were an important topic. In a post on X the same day, he said the agreement would be signed the following week [that is, this one] in London.
Prior to the press-conference, that is, in Tirana, UK PM Starmer had stated that the Strategic Partnership would resolve important matters between the two countries.
Also, the UK’s Government, in a press-release, said, inter alia, the leaders also discussed North Macedonia’s recent agreement to join the Joint Migration Taskforce, further boosting regional cooperation to prevent irregular migrants transiting the Balkans and disrupting the criminal gangs that facilitate them.