Russian Ambassador: North Macedonia’s Unfriendly Actions Block Reopening of Bilateral Commission
TASS
Russian Ambassador to North Macedonia Dmitry Zykov said Skopje’s unfriendly steps have hindered the resumption of the intergovernmental commission on economic-trade and scientific-technical cooperation. Since Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Skopje has backed all EU sanctions, leading to a threefold drop in bilateral trade from $495 million in 2022.
MOSCOW, May 3 (TASS). In his first interview with a Russian news agency, newly appointed Russian Ambassador to North Macedonia Dmitry Zykov stated that Skopje’s unfriendly moves have blocked the resumption of the Russia-North Macedonia intergovernmental commission on economic-trade and scientific-technical cooperation.
According to Zykov, since Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine began, North Macedonia has aligned itself with all European Union sanctions against Russia, directly affecting bilateral trade. “Since 2022, when bilateral trade reached $495 million, it has since dropped threefold, with Russian exports falling fivefold,” the diplomat noted.
In response to Macedonia’s actions, Russia placed North Macedonia on its list of unfriendly countries and suspended its participation in the Russia-North Macedonia intergovernmental commission on economic-trade and scientific-technical cooperation. Ambassador Zykov said the commission’s ninth meeting took place in November 2019, and a co-chair meeting was held in June 2021. “Clearly, resuming the commission’s work is impossible under the current state of bilateral relations,” he added.
