North Macedonia's president starts Polish visit

An official visit to Poland by President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, accompanied by his wife Elizabeta Pendarovska, commenced on Tuesday morning with an official welcome by Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

This is the first official visit of the North Macedonian president to Poland since 2007.

Later in the day, a Duda-Pendarovski meeting is scheduled, followed by plenary talks between Polish and North Macedonian delegations, chaired by both presidents. Topics to be discussed include bilateral relations, trade exchange and integration of North Macedonia with NATO and the European Union.

The visit will be an opportunity to sum up numerous initiatives undertaken by Poland for the Western Balkan countries in 2019, including the Polish presidency in the Berlin Process instrument, which aids cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkan states, According to Duda's aide, Krzysztof Szczerski,

According to him, the talks will include topics that "require political commitment on both sides, such as the issue of the migration crisis in Europe and the issue of ensuring greater security on the so-called Balkan route."