N Macedonia, Britain agree on boosting ties: PM

SKOPJE, Republic of North Macedonia: North Macedonia and Britain have agreed on a major partnerships deal that would boost trade and investment between the two countries, North Macedonia’s prime minister said on Saturday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his North Macedonian counterpart Hristijan Mickoski finalised the strategic partnership agreement, the first of its kind between Skopje and London, on the sidelines of a summit of European leaders in Tirana on Friday.

“This partnership means much more than a bilateral engagement,” Mickoski told a press conference in Skopje on Saturday.

Serving as a base for a six-billion-euro ($6.7-billion) investment cycle, “it will enable the strongest possible economic cooperation... including capital investments, infrastructure, health and energy,” he added.

It also provides for cooperation in defence, fighting organised crime and human trafficking, education, healthcare, culture and youth policy, Mickoski said.

Matthew Lawson, British ambassador to North Macedonia, a NATO member country that hopes to join the EU, hailed the deal as a “highlight in our bilateral relations... built on common values and membership in NATO as well as very rich trade connection”.

It will be formally signed in London next week, he said.

In Tirana on Thursday, Starmer announced an expansion of the Joint Migration Taskforce in the Western Balkans, set up with Albania and Kosovo, to include North Macedonia and Montenegro.

It would allow greater intelligence sharing to intercept smuggling gangs and deploy UK-funded drones to snare criminals funnelling migrants through the Western Balkans to Britain.

On Saturday, when asked by reporters if, according to the deal, North Macedonia would take in migrants as some UK media speculated, the British ambassador said it was “not what the agreement was about”.

“It is a completely different story,” Lawson said.

The two countries agreed on a broad partnership in security, trade, defence, education, investment, he said. “It is about cooperation between the police, about dealing with criminal gangs and groups.”