At their meeting in Tirana on 28 February 2024, the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia adopted the following declaration.
The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia:
discussed the state and prospects of bilateral Ukrainian-Macedonian relations against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing armed aggression against Ukraine, as well as security, economic and social challenges stemming from it for the European continent and the entire world;
condemned Russian atrocities against civilian population and civilian infrastructure of Ukraine, including energy facilities, schools, hospitals and residential buildings, which are protected by international humanitarian law;
emphasized the need for an immediate and complete withdrawal of all Russian troops and armed formations from the sovereign territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders as of 1991 and reiterated Ukraine's right for individual and collective self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter;
acknowledged the need of further strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, in particular to deter Russia's ongoing armed aggression and its possible escalation, and supplying to that end to Ukraine military equipment and weapons;
welcomed participation of North Macedonia in the implementation of the Ukraine’s Peace Formula, based on the principles of the UN Charter and universal human values, aimed at restoring security in all its dimensions and justice for Ukraine and the world;
noted the unwavering support of Ukraine during Chairpersonship of North Macedonia of the OSCE and of the USA - Adriatic Charter (A5) in 2023;
recalled the interest of participation of North Macedonia in the restoration and rebuilding the infrastructure, damaged by Russia's attacks during a full-scale aggression against Ukraine;
noted active participation of North Macedonia in International Crimea Platform activities, and recognize Crimea as integral part of Ukraine, and welcomed creation of the Inter-party Parliamentary Group in the North Macedonia`s Assembly to support the initiative as well as the establishment of the Register of Damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine;
reiterated the importance of investigating the war crimes on the territory of Ukraine in order to bring the perpetrators to justice, and other crimes, including crime of aggression, in accordance with the international law, in particular through the International Criminal Court, and supported the creation of a Special Tribunal regarding the crime of aggression against Ukraine, as well reiterated the continuation of their engagement in the “Core group on options for the establishment of a tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine”;
stressed the importance of signing on October 6, 2022 in Prague the Amendments to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between North Macedonia and Ukraine as an important step towards further mutual trade liberalization and deepening mutual national producers’ integration into European and regional trade and economic processes;
wished to build on an already extensive network of bilateral and multilateral connections, agreements and arrangements, as well as to deepen and maximize the potential of their cooperation across various spheres including defense and security;
reiterated the security commitments and arrangements as expressed by North Macedonia by co-signing the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine of 12 July 2023, in accordance with our respective legal and constitutional requirements;
acknowledged the need to further strengthen the consolidated capacity of the Euro-Atlantic community to counter existing and potential global challenges and security threats,
noted Ukraine’s significant contribution to the security of Euro-Atlantic area, in particular its efforts to deter Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression,
confirmed their commitment to strengthen joint efforts to ensure further progress towards the implementation of EU and NATO standards as well as obtaining membership of Ukraine in the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance;
reaffirmed their mutual support during the process of accession negotiations of Ukraine and North Macedonia on European Union membership;
emphasized the support for strong decisions of the upcoming 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. that will bring Ukraine closer to NATO;
acknowledged that North Macedonia supports invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when conditions are met.
Signed in Tirana, on 28 February 2024 in two copies in English language.
For Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
For the Republic of North Macedonia: Prime Minister Talat Xhaferi