The President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikola Dimitrov, met today with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as part of the agenda of the Macedonian Government Delegation at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.
Zaev reaffirmed the strong commitment of North Macedonia to effective multilateralism and strengthening the UN's role in solving complex global challenges. He also supported the reform process initiated by the Secretary-General whose focus is placed on preventing conflict, sustainable development, and reforms in management.
At the meeting with the Secretary-General Guterres, it was additionally emphasized that North Macedonia fully supports the broad vision of the Sustainable Development Goals as prevention not only of the violent conflicts and terrorism, but also of threats coming from climate changes, migration, refugee crises, cyber threats and other hybrid threats to humanity.
It was stated at the meeting that North Macedonia has been fully committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda and the activities regarding the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals in national strategic documents and local action plans.
PM Zaev thanked the UN agencies for their support of our agenda in the implementation process of the comprehensive reforms in North Macedonia and informed the UN Secretary-General about the current situation in the country, as well as about the objective announcements regarding the opening of the EU accession negotiations, and the process of finalizing the accession protocol for a full membership in NATO.
The acknowledgement of the importance of the Prespa Agreement in the Annual Report of the UN Secretary-General Guterres was given a special appreciation, as the Agreement was evaluated as a result of the win of both diplomacy and dialogue and as an example showing that disputes could be resolved based on partnership and friendship on behalf of the mutual interest for the prosperity of the nations.
UN Secretary-General Guterres emphasized his admiration for the Prespa Agreement and assessed it as a historic success that we need to be proud of and that will open opportunities for the progress of the country. He added that this Agreement was an important step for the upcoming NATO membership and the EU positive decision for opening accession negotiations expected in October.
The Secretary-General showed interest for the concept of “One Society for All” and expressed his support for the policies of cohesion in its implementation and thanked North Macedonia for its positive role in the UN activities, its support for the UN initiatives, as well as for its commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
