Thewesternbalkans.
On September 16, 2026, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, arrived in the US for a multi-day visit at the head of a government delegation. During his working visit to Washington, Mickoski held meetings with representatives of the US Senate and Congress, State Department officials, and representatives of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and participated in a discussion at the Atlantic Council on September 17. He is also scheduled to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly and for additional bilateral meetings.
During his visit, Mickoski met with Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, co-chair of the Congressional Macedonia Friendship Caucus, as well as with Congressman Keith Self, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. According to Mickoski’s statements following the meetings, the discussions covered the strategic importance of relations between Macedonia and the United States, as well as potential areas for deeper cooperation.
On September 17, Mickoski held a 45-minute discussion at the Atlantic Council. The focus was on positioning the Republic of North Macedonia “unusually close” to the US. Attention was drawn to the US-North Macedonia Strategic Dialogue framework, as well as cooperation regarding critical materials, energy, and cybersecurity. Regarding the delay in the Republic of North Macedonia’s (RNM) EU integration process, Mickoski expressed the view that the process is not based on the candidate country’s own merits and that artificial obstacles are being placed in the RNM’s path—specifically citing Sofia’s demand to include Bulgarians in the RNM’s constitution as a condition for membership. He also presented Skopje’s proposal for so-called guarantees: that the constitutional amendments be made now but only enter into force once all EU member states have ratified the accession treaty.
“We remain part of the EU and committed to our strategic partnership with the USA. We are important to NATO,” Mickoski further noted during the discussion at the Atlantic Council.
Commentary: Mickoski’s visit to the USA demonstrates that strengthening relations with the United States is a top priority in Macedonia’s foreign policy. For North Macedonia, the meetings in Washington offer an opportunity to maintain high-level political contacts with US institutions and to discuss practical areas of cooperation. While no new bilateral agreement or specific financial package was announced following the meetings in Congress, the commitment to continued collaboration and the intention to explore further opportunities were underscored. However, Mickoski’s visit carries broader diplomatic significance. The Macedonian Prime Minister is seeking US support to break the deadlock in relations with the EU and to exert pressure on Bulgaria to reach a compromise in the bilateral dispute. Prior to the visit, the Macedonian Prime Minister noted that no meeting with a Bulgarian delegation was scheduled. It is noteworthy that Mickoski has been invited to a discussion at the Atlantic Council twice in just a year and a half. Skopje’s lobbying efforts in the US are reaching significant proportions, and the Republic of North Macedonia is emerging as the United States’ closest ally in the Western Balkans region.
