North Macedonia’s FM joins NATO ministers meeting in Brussels
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia, Timcho Mucunski, at the invitation of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, is taking part in a meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels on Wednesday.
Discussions are expected to focus on progress since the Hague Summit, security challenges facing NATO, measures to strengthen deterrence and defence capabilities, support for Ukraine, and preparations for the July 2026 in Ankara, CE Report quotes MIA.
The meeting will also tackle the support for Ukraine and the joint response to the current security challenges, including destabilizing activities by malicious actors and strategic rivals, which represent a threat to the existing security architecture and international order.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Mucunski will also hold several bilateral meetings including a meeting with the United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, and attend a meeting on Corridor VIII.
"Allies have shown that they are ready, willing and able to work together to ensure we can tackle the challenges effectively keeping our 1 billion people safe today and into the future," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Tuesday's pre-ministerial press conference ahead of the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers.
He noted that at The Hague Summit, Allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP on defence, including 3.5% on core defence spending, in support of men and women of the armed forces, as well as to provide all they need - aircraft, tanks, ships and drones, as well as cyber and space capabilities.
"That commitment to invest more in our security was a major leap which recognised our changing reality. And since then, we have made meaningful progress. Each week I see new announcements from Allies working to boost their capabilities. But this is only the beginning of a long road, and we cannot be complacent. We must build momentum and hold each other accountable as we work to keep our 1 billion citizens safe," Rutte pointed out.
He stressed that increasing investment is only truly effective if supply matches demand, which is why Allies are also rapidly scaling up production capacity, working hand-in-hand with industry to ensure that what NATO needs is produced, while bolstering security and prosperity and also creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
Rutte said, among others, that Wednesday's working lunch of the NATO Ukraine Council, will also be attended by Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, and the EU's High Representative Kaja Kallas.
"Turning to Ukraine, we all recognise that our security is deeply linked, and we are all working to bring the war against Ukraine to an end with a just and lasting peace. We welcome the ongoing efforts led by the United States to make this a reality, and I am confident that these sustained efforts will eventually restore peace in Europe," said Rutte.
Yet, according to him, as work for peace is underway, "we cannot lose sight of Russia's increasingly brutal attacks against Ukraine."
"Russia is systematically targeting civilian infrastructure, depriving Ukrainians of heat and light at the start of winter. Russia is not alone in this war, as China continues to be its decisive enabler and Iran and North Korea also provides support," the NATO Secretary General said.
Rutte added that since the earliest days of Russia's full-scale invasion, the Allies have shown an unwavering commitment to Ukraine. In recent months, European and Canadian Allies have provided billions of dollars of essential US equipment to Ukraine through PURL.
"This support is an important part of our ongoing efforts to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend today and deter future aggression. And still, there is more we must do. I expect Allies to announce new contributions in the coming days. So, it's clear that we have a challenging agenda ahead," Rutte told Tuesday's pre-ministerial conference.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will skip Wednesday's ministerial meeting, with his deputy Christopher Landau to attend in Rubio's place. Asked to comment on Rubio's absence, Rutte said the U.S. Secretary of State is very much involved in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, adding that he's been in constant contact with him.
"He's working extremely hard, having to take care not only of the situation in Ukraine, but of course, many other issues which are on his plate. So, I totally accept him not being able to be here tomorrow, and I would not read anything in it," said Rutte.
Photo: MIA archive
