North Macedonia says it will continue supporting Ukraine

BELGRADE, Serbia

North Macedonia will continue to support Ukraine as it serves the defense of Europe, the country's president, Stevo Pendarovski, said in his address to the 26th US-Adriatic Charter conference in the capital Skopje.

Pendarovski said Russia's war on Ukraine unleashed unprecedented challenges for Europe's security architecture, and North Macedonia has condemned the "illegal invasion" since the very beginning.

He said North Macedonia fully supports and contributes with its capacities NATO's efforts to strengthen its eastern flank.

"It is true that the war in Ukraine may drag on, but we are ready to continue helping because we believe that the defense of Ukraine is the defense of the principled European and international order," the president said.

Pendarovski argued that the Ukraine war reiterated the need for EU to focus on the integration with the countries of the Western Balkans, a "process that will further strengthen the stability, security, democratization of our region, because NATO and the European Union are the two corridors for predictable and prosperous future."

The US–Adriatic Charter was formed in 2003 to enable nations in Southeast Europe to pursue, and ultimately obtain full NATO membership.