Unfriendly steps of North Macedonia prevent commission’s meeting — Russian ambassador

Lead

Russia's new ambassador to North Macedonia, Dmitry Zykov, has said that "unfriendly steps" by Skopje are preventing the resumption of the Russian-Macedonian intergovernmental commission on trade-economic and scientific-technical cooperation. In his first interview since taking up the post, Zykov told TASS that most officials in North Macedonia had avoided communication with Russian diplomats and that proposals to restore bilateral cooperation had gone unanswered.

Coverage Comparison

The interview was published by TASS, Russia's state news agency, in two separate articles. The first focused on the diplomatic impasse, quoting Zykov as saying that since 2022 communication with Russian diplomats had been "reduced to a minimum" and that the majority of local officials, including at the Foreign Ministry, were avoiding contact. The second article emphasized the economic consequences, reporting that North Macedonia's alignment with EU restrictive measures had caused trade turnover to plunge threefold.

Both reports draw exclusively on the ambassador's statements and do not include independent comment from North Macedonian officials. The coverage reflects the Kremlin's perspective on bilateral relations, with the ambassador's remarks framed as a lament over lost cooperation rather than a direct accusation.

Key Claims

• Communication breakdown: Zykov stated that most officials in North Macedonia had avoided communication with Russian diplomats, and that proposals to restore bilateral cooperation had gone unanswered. He added that, unlike in some other countries, Russian diplomats were not facing pressure or outright rudeness, but communication had been "reduced to a minimum."

• High-level contacts: According to the ambassador, he has already met with senior North Macedonian officials, including President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski, to whom he presented his credentials. He also mentioned a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Stoilkovic, who handles inter-community relations. Zykov said some officials maintain working contacts with the embassy and assist in solving specific issues.

• EU sanctions and trade decline: Zykov noted that North Macedonia had sided with all EU restrictive measures against Russia since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. He cited figures showing trade turnover between the two countries totaled $495 million in 2022, but then fell threefold, including a fivefold drop in Russian exports.

• Suspension of commission: In response to North Macedonia's actions, Russia included the country on its list of unfriendly states and suspended participation in the intergovernmental commission. The last full meeting of the commission was held in November 2019, and a meeting of co-chairs took place in June 2021. The ambassador said the resumption of the commission's activities was "not possible" given the current level of relations.

Perspectives

From the Russian ambassador's viewpoint, the deterioration in relations is a direct consequence of North Macedonia's alignment with EU sanctions, which he describes as "unfriendly steps." His statements suggest a willingness to restore cooperation if the other side responds, but he expresses frustration over the lack of engagement.

The North Macedonian government has not publicly responded to the ambassador's remarks. The country, which is a NATO member and EU candidate, has consistently aligned with EU foreign policy, including sanctions against Russia. No independent verification of the trade figures or the status of diplomatic contacts was available at the time of writing.