North Macedonia's foreign minister calls first India visit significant

North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani has termed his first visit to India as a "new chapter in political and economic cooperation" between the two countries.

Expressing his expectations from India, he said that there is a "need for more Indian economy in our region".

Osmani was interacting with the media on Thursday after the conclusion of 44th Sapru House Lecture on 'Policy of North Macedonia and Presidency of OSCE.'

When asked about his expectations from India, the North Macedonian minister said, "I think there is a need for more Indian economy in our region. There is a complementarity between our economies, and today we discuss how we develop those platforms. So we bring those complementarities into concrete partnership and projects."

North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is also the chairperson for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), while delivering his address said, "My first visit to India marks new chapter in political and economic cooperation".

Osmani also congratulated India for the successful landing of its moon mission, Chandrayaan-3.

"Let me at the beginning congratulate you on your technological masterpiece landing on the south pole of the moon," he said.

After his address, he was asked about India's strategic partnership with North Macedonia, to which he replied, "If India and Greece have already established strategic partnership and we and Greece have signed agreement of strategic partnership few years ago, does that mathematically means that we and India are strategic partners as well?"

"So this brings a triangle of strategic partners that could be put in use in practice. And I've discussed this option with my counterpart in Greece, but today as well in New Delhi," Osmani added.

He also said, "For us India is an important partner. We attach great importance to deepening and strengthening our bilateral relations".

Almost 30 years of friendship and partnership between "our nations have been formalised even strongly with the opening of our embassy here in India."

He also spoke on the future ambitions of North Macedonia for India and about creating new mechanisms and platforms by coming together.

"I believe that there is a huge untapped potential of economic relations between India and North Macedonia and we discussed today with the minister of foreign affairs how we can create those mechanisms and platforms to bring businesses together, to bring people together and to unleash that economic potential between our two nations," Osmani said.

Earlier on Thursday, Osmani met External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi.

During his meeting with the Vice President, the North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed the warm relations between the two countries.

"H.E. Mr Bujar Osmani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, called on the Hon'ble Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas today," posted Vice President on X.

The North Macedonian Foreign Minister on Thursday arrived in New Delhi for a three-day official visit to India.

On Friday, Osmani will emplane for Kolkata to visit the Memorial House of Mother Teresa to pay tribute to her life and mission.