High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell in the Western Balkans

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, is in North Macedonia today before travelling to Albania tomorrow and to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. The visit will reaffirm the EU's commitment and support for the region, also in view of the Russian war against Ukraine and its impact on the security of Europe as a whole. Today HR/VP Borrell is in Skopje where he met this morning with President Stevo Pendarovski and with Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski, Deputy Prime Minister of European Affairs, Bojan Marichijk, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani and Minister of Defence Slavjanka Petrovska. The High Representative will hold a press point with Prime Minister Kovačevski at 12:00, which will be broadcast on EbS. This afternoon he will have meetings with the President of the Parliament Talat Xhaferi as well as with leaders of parliamentary groups and take part in an event where representatives of civil society and youth organisation will present their work on the Western Balkans' contribution to the Conference on the Future of Europe. On Tuesday, the High Representative will travel to Tirana, Albania, where he will meet with Prime Minister Edi Rama. Their meeting will be followed by a press point at 11:00. High Representative Borrell will meet with other representatives of the Albanian authorities and civil society representatives and visit the ongoing restoration works at the mosaic of the National History Museum, renovated under the EU's post-earthquake recovery assistance. On Wednesday, the HR/VP will be in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina where he will first pay a visit to the EUFOR Althea Operation whose troops capacity on the ground has been almost doubled recently. He will then meet with Bosnia and Herzegovina's authorities, representatives of political oppositions and the civil society. Pictures and videos of the mission will be available on EbS.