The governments of North Macedonia and the United States issued a joint statement following the second session of the Strategic Dialogue in Washington D.C., reaffirming the two countries’ commitment to further deepening strategic partnership and advancing peace, security, and economic prosperity.
The FALCON program will conduct a comprehensive cybersecurity assessment of critical infrastructure and other important networks to identify vulnerabilities, recommend remedial measures, and inform procurement decisions by the Government of North Macedonia, including the procurement of cybersecurity products and services from the United States and other trusted suppliers, the joint statement said.
The joint statement also notes that both countries welcome the decision of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to provide assistance in the amount of $5 million to restart antimony mining in N. Macedonia.
It also points out the strengthened cooperation in key areas, including energy and the economy, defense and security within NATO, as well as cyber and digital resilience. Special emphasis is placed on energy diversification and increasing the security of natural gas supply, as well as on improving the investment climate and trade relations.
The joint statement is structured according to the topics that were the focus of the dialogue and it details what was discussed and agreed upon by the two partner countries. Thus, in the area of cooperation in the economy and energy, the United States welcomes the signing of the Memorandum on Natural Gas Supply to the country, as a bilateral arrangement aimed at strengthening the resilience of the natural gas market and consolidating energy security.
