North Macedonia makes ties with Israel a foreign policy priority

North Macedonia has elevated its relationship with Israel to a foreign policy priority, aiming to deepen cooperation across a wide spectrum of sectors including defense, investment, tourism, and water management. This was stated by North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski during his first official visit to Israel.

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We have had a very strong relationship with Israel, but also myself with Gideon, over the last few years. I think that this visit is an opportunity to move the bilateral relationship to the next step, to move from a place where we’re at right now, which is excellent bilateral relations, to having that relationship develop into various different areas of mutual importance.

Mucunski met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Jerusalem, where the two leaders signed two cooperation agreements. Discussions focused on expanding bilateral ties in areas such as agriculture, water management, security, innovation, tourism, health, and education. Both ministers also explored the possibility of re-establishing direct air links between Israel and North Macedonia.

"We would love to have more and more tourists from Israel visiting Skopje, visiting Ohrid, but as well as the entirety of our country," Mucunski said, emphasizing the importance of a direct flight as a crucial first step to increase the movement of people and businesses. He believes that Israeli tourists would find North Macedonia's main tourist center, Ohrid, particularly appealing.

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We would love to have more and more tourists from Israel visiting Skopje, visiting Ohrid, but as well as the entirety of our country.

The visit underscores a growing trend of high-level engagement between the two countries. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski views enhanced collaboration with Israel as essential for North Macedonia's success, citing shared values and the potential to learn from Israel's experiences. This strategic alignment reflects a deliberate policy to foster stronger bilateral relations.

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Prime Minister Mickoski himself believes that stronger collaboration with Israel is a necessity for our country to also be successful. There are many things that we can learn from you. There are many common values that we share, both domestically and internationally.