The Western Balkans is in focus today at the State Department as Secretary Blinken prepares to meet with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski. Ahead of the meeting, The Pavlovic Today asked the Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel about Secretary Blinken’s expectations and the main themes for the meeting, writes thepavlovictoday.

Patel highlighted that North Macedonia is a strong NATO ally partner and supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He mentioned that North Macedonia has provided military, humanitarian, and energy infrastructure support to Ukraine, emphasizing the areas of the strong bilateral relations.

“We are also a strong supporter of North Macedonia’s integration into the EU, and we believe that the future of the Western Balkans is squarely within the European Union,” Patel told The Pavlovic Today. He expressed his expectations for the Secretary to raise several of these issues.

Patel said he would provide a readout to The Pavlovic Today after the meeting.