Estonia Supports Visa Freedom for Macedonia with the European Union

20.11.2008

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet began his visit to Macedonia on Wednesday, 19 November. The Estonian foreign minister met with Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Gruevski and Vice Premier for European Affairs Ivica Bocevski. They discussed bilateral relations and matters related to the European Union and NATO.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that Estonia supports Macedonia’s ongoing wish to accede to the European Union and NATO. “We have always supported an open-door policy for nations that are prepared for it,” said Paet.

While talking about Macedonia’s visa freedom perspective, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet expressed hope that the nation will be able to fulfil the conditions set forth by the European Commission’s visa freedom road map as quickly as possible and as a result, Macedonian citizens could visit the EU without visas. Estonia supports the idea of giving visa freedom with the EU to all the Western Balkan nations, Foreign Minister Paet emphasised.

The vice premier for European Affairs gave the members of the Estonian delegation an overview of Macedonia’s reforms while moving towards the European Union.

Foreign Minister Paet opened Estonia’s first honorary consulate in Macedonia in Skopje. It is also the first Estonian honorary consulate in all the Western Balkans. The Estonian honorary consul in Macedonia is Saško Miladinov. “Our new honorary consul wants to help with enlivening business and economic contacts between Estonia and Macedonia and with advancing cultural ties,” Paet stated at the opening of the consulate. Also present at the opening were the Macedonian foreign minister and the chairman of the Macedonia-Estonia parliamentary friendship group.

The honorary consulate can be visited at the address Kole Nedelkovski 6, 1000 Skopje, Macedonia, and can be reached at the telephone number 389 2 322 5229.

Saško Miladinov (52) graduated from Kiril and Metod University in Skopje and has been a clothing manufacturer in the textile industry for 25 years. He is the owner and director of the company Albatros, which produces clothing for men and women. Miladinov is married and has two children.

Foreign Minister Paet has meetings scheduled on 20 November with vice speaker of Parliament Jani Makraduli Veljanoski and Foreign Minister Antonio Milošoski.

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