Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a series of discussions with political leaders, business figures, and representatives of the Turkish community during his visit to North Macedonia on Thursday, as confirmed by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Fidan’s visit to the capital, Skopje, saw meetings with a range of officials, including members of the VLEN Coalition and high-profile figures such as Izet Meciti, First Deputy Prime Minister, and Bilal Kasami, Mayor of Tetovo and leader of the BESA Movement. Additionally, he met with Zekeriya Ibrahimi, leader of Alternativa and a member of the Alliance for Albanians, alongside Halil Snopce, a member of Parliament.
His visit builds on Türkiye’s longstanding relationship with North Macedonia, a country it was first to recognize under its constitutional name. Türkiye also became the first nation to appoint an ambassador to Skopje, reflecting its commitment to diplomatic and economic ties with the Balkan nation.
In a separate leg of his visit, Fidan also engaged with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski, and Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi. The visit followed Fidan’s attendance at the South-East European Cooperation Process Summit in June, where he had met with North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova.