Author*: Zorica Trajkova Strezovska

Exactly 17 months ago, on June 2, 2022, North Macedonia and the United States signed  a Strategic Dialogue, establishing a platform for enhanced cooperation between the two countries. At the initiative of Rosana Aleksoska and Sefer Selimi, our MAAA members, a Forum for Strategic Dialogue was organized by MAAA on November 1st, 2023 at the National Gallery Daut Pasha Hammam. The aim was to reflect on the accomplishments achieved so far as well as the future steps, prospects and challenges to successfully implement all aspects of the Dialogue. The main discussion at the Forum was held among the Ambassador of the United States to North Macedonia, H.E. Angela P. Aggeler,  The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bojan Maričić, and the Minister of Culture, Bisera Kostadinovska Stojčevska, as well as MAAA members, representatives from the civil society (CSO), state institutions, university professors, journalists and young people – members of the Embassy’s Youth Council and YES Alumni.

After the event was opened by the president of MAAA, Ms. Verica Jordanova, Ambassador Aggeler welcomed the audience expressing her satisfaction with MAAA’s initiation of the event. Then she asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to present the draft activity plan and comment on the possibilities and ideas on how to effectively engage all segments of the society in its successful implementation.

Mr. Bujar Osmani underlined that the Government puts as much focus on the bilateral relations and ongoing processes between the U.S. and North Macedonia, as they focus on the EU accession process. He further emphasized that the action plan developed with the U.S. is part of the Annual plan of the Macedonian government and listed some of the key fields covered in the Dialogue, such as defense and security, rule of law, anti-corruption, environment protection, trade and tourism, and emphasized that education, people-to-people, and cultural exchanges. In addition, he explained that horizontal process across the government institutions is ensured in terms of the Dialogue. In order to ensure a successful implementation of the Strategic Dialogue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a coordinator and an umbrella institution for all involved actors in the process. Mr. Osmani further explained that a foreign policy strategy is prepared with three pillars – experts’ input, town hall meetings, and institutional cooperation. Taskforce within the Ministry was formed to conduct monitoring and evaluation of the Strategic Dialogue and intersection collaboration to track its progress. Finally, he emphasized the Ministry’s willingness to include more alumni to help the process with their expertise.

The Minister of Culture, Ms. Bisera Kostadinovska Stojčevska emphasized the most important aspects of the Strategic Dialogue the Ministry has been focused on. She first explained that the process of signing a Memorandum for preventing illegal export of artifacts was complex and extensive but it is beneficial for North Macedonia and emphasized that 1.5 million dollars were allocated from the Ambassador’s Cultural Fund for preservation and restoration of Macedonian landmarks. She further mentioned that the Ministry proposes cultural exchanges and study stays in the U.S. and will work on providing opportunities for young artists to study in prestige U.S. schools and attend masterclasses for higher education. Exchange programs, as she further explained, should be about learning new things and then bringing that experience and knowledge back in North Macedonia.

The Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bojan Maričić first discussed ways on how to improve the Dialogue. He mentioned that the doors should be opened to people outside the institutions who could help with each cluster of the Dialogue. He openly invited MAAA to reach out to members interested in contributing to the process, and invited them to join the working groups of the Government. He gave an example of Albanian alumni members who were also invited to nominate activities and topics within the clusters. He further suggested that small-scale ERASMUS-style exchanges should be organized in the U.S. for different groups of students, professors, CSOs, etc. and a twinning-like program should be conducted aimed at linking institutions in North Macedonia with ones from the U.S. In his opinion, regular meetings with CSOs, media and all other parties should be held to help this process. Finally, he expressed the government’s determination towards North Macedonia entering the EU in 2030, when a new accession is planned.

After the ministers’ report on what has been done and what needs to be done in the future, the floor was given to the audience to ask questions, give comments and offer recommendations for strengthening and improving the Strategic Dialogue.

At the beginning, professors from the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering within Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje and the South East European University in Tetovo emphasized the following aspects: 1) the challenge of extreme nationalism should be tackled alongside ethnic and cultural integration and acceptance; 2) more focus should be put on education and the relevant institutions, as well as the brain drain as a burning issue; 3) the government should pay more attention to the Fulbright program and engage Fulbright students more after they come back to North Macedonia; 4) Smart Specialization Strategy is needed and USAID will support higher education within a new project; 5) the media should be involved in the Strategic Dialogue process as much as possible and journalists, who are MAAA members, should take a more active role.

Then, CSO representatives commented that the U.S. presence in North Macedonia should be elevated alongside people-to-people communication. Thus, the Strategic Dialogue could be brought closer to the people from all parts of the country. They also suggested that the forum is organized annually in different places in the country so that all citizens can hear about the Dialogue and participate.

The members of the Youth Council of the U.S. Embassy agreed that the activities concerning the Dialogue should be decentralized and more young people, from all over the country,  should be informed and involved in the process through different events and in collaboration with the American corners. They also emphasized the importance of including young people’s mental health as a topic, which should be addressed in the Dialogue. 

Finally, YES Exchange students also took the floor commenting on the importance of cultural exchange programs and the challenges that arise when educating others about the American culture. They shared their exchange experiences and underlined their importance for the youth, especially for high-school students.

* the text is based on the notes taken by the author and Iva Kitanović