Ambassador Aggeler spoke to Macedonian Radio Television about her career in diplomacy, her work in North Macedonia, and current political issues in the country, including rule of law, the fight against corruption, and more. To watch the video, click HERE . Below you can read the transcript of the interview: Ambassador Angela Aggeler MRTV Interview April …
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March 22, 2023 Alsat TV: Dear Ambassador, welcome in this interview tonight. Ambassador Aggeler: Hi, Fatlume. Thank you so much for having me here. I’m delighted to be here at Alsat and look forward to our conversation. Alsat TV: We will start from the latest events. A big step was taken this past weekend in …
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In an interview with Telma TV , Ambassador Angela P. Aggeler discusses current developments, EU accession path, anti-corruption efforts and more. Watch the whole interview here . Ambassador Angela Aggeler Interview with Telma TV January 23, 2023 Telma TV: Your Excellency, you recently had meetings with political leaders. What is your impression of their engagement regarding North …
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December 6, 2022 Sitel TV: Ambassador Aggeler, thank you very much for being with us this evening. Ambassador Aggeler: Thank you so much for having me here, Slavica, I’m really pleased to be here. Sitel TV: This is not the first time that you’re in Macedonia and at the United States Embassy. You were …
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November 15, 2022 Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, President Ivanovska, Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Excellencies, friends, good evening, Добровечер, and congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. I’m glad to be here with you and glad to be back in North Macedonia, a place I know and love. …
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Remarks of Ambassador Aggeler at the Credentialing Ceremony November 8, 2022 President Pendarovski. Thank you for your warm welcome to Villa Vodno today. It is a great honor to offer to you my letter of credence from President Biden. I am proud to represent the President and the American people as Ambassador of the United …
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Institute for Human Rights September 28, 2022, Skopje Good morning and thank you to the Institute for Human Rights for inviting me to join you today. Deputy Prime Minister Grkovska, civil society colleagues, partners from the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption – it’s great to see you. Combating corruption is one of the …
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Regional Ambassadors Panel: “The U.S. Perspective for Southeast Europe’s Energy Role” (as prepared) September 9, 2022 Thessaloniki, Greece Thank you, I’m happy to be here today alongside my fellow ambassadors from across the region. This regional focus is entirely the point because, while energy is essential to national security, it is not an exclusive national …
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Ukraine, a country under attack by Russia since 2014, has now withstood half a year of massive bombings, sieges of cities, and atrocities against its people. Ukraine is fighting to defend not only its democracy, but its very survival as an independent country. August 24th marks the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Sadly, the day …
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July 8, 2022 Your country has reached a historic moment in its long and challenging journey toward its Euro-Atlantic future. Along the way, your path has had its share of roadblocks and delays, and you have faced challenges to the Macedonian language and identity, which are an intrinsic part of who you are as …
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July 6, 2022 Thank you all for being here tonight to share in the celebration of the 246th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. I speak for all my Embassy colleagues when I say that it feels good to be back in person and among friends. And before I get …
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Ambassador Byrnes joined Nazim Rashidi on “Programi200” to discuss the upcoming Strategic Dialogue in Washington between the United States and North Macedonia, to Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Macedonia’s role in Europe’s future, and more. To watch the interview, click here . Below you can read the full transcript of the interview. ———————– Interview of Ambassador Kate …
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Ambassador Byrnes attended the “Trade Mission: Business Beyond Borders” event, organized by the American Chamber of North Macedonia and the Greek American Chamber of Commerce , which aims at supporting trade and businesses in North Macedonia and Greece, while strengthening bilateral relationship between the two countries. Read below Ambassador Byrnes’ remarks: ————————————————————————– Remarks of Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes “Trade Mission: …
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Remarks of Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes Holocaust Commemoration Event March 2022 Good evening. It is always a privilege, albeit a somber one, to commemorate the Holocaust of the Jews of the North Macedonia alongside the Jewish community and numerous other supportive embassies and institutions. Today, we stop to remember and honor the more than 7,000 …
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Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes sat down with 21 Television to discuss the recent developments in North Macedonia and the region, corruption, rule of law, the war in Ukraine and more. You can watch the interview here . —————- Interview of U.S. Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes with 21 Television March 1, 2022, Skopje Borjan Jovanovski: Ambassador Byrnes, …
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Diplomacy over War; Truth over Lies The world is watching Russia’s unprovoked aggression toward Ukraine. Russia’s actions are a threat not only to Ukraine, but to Europe and to the international rules-based order. Our aims are simple. We stand with our allies and partners to support European cohesion, strengthen our transatlantic relationship, and reinforce democratic …
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November 8, 2021 Ambassador Byrnes remarks for SFAB Opening Ceremony As prepared Minister Shekerinska, General Emini, Colonel Lafchiski, Colonel Born, I’m thrilled to be here to mark a significant milestone in the defense cooperation relationship between our two countries. For well over two decades, the United States has been committed to assisting North Macedonia modernize …
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Ambassador Byrnes attended The Economist Western Balkans Summit 2021 for discussions on our common challenges and opportunities, to include the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, corruption, rule of law and U.S. engagement in North Macedonia, and throughout the Western Balkans. Read below Ambassador Byrnes’ remarks. —————- Western Balkans Summit 2021 South-East Europe: Enhancing Peace …
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On October 12, 2021, Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes delivered remarks at a virtual gathering of 30 graduate law students and academicians at the 2021 Ohrid School of Natural Law, titled “Fundamentals of the Legal Reform in the Republic of North Macedonia and Environmental Justice.” Read the remarks below to learn more. Ambassador Byrnes’ opening remarks …
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On September 30th, 2021, Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes attended the ceremony for promotion of the Master Conservation Plan for the archeological site Stobi, funded by the J.M. Kaplan Fund from the United States. The Master Conservation Plan for Stobi was created through a cooperation between National Institution (NI) Stobi and Balkan Heritage Foundation from Bulgaria, …
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For the 13th consecutive September, we partnered with the Red Cross of the City of Skopje and the Institute of Transfusion Medicine to collect blood and food supplies for those in need. Our Food and Blood Drive started in 2002 to honor the victims, survivors, and first responders of the September 11 attacks through community service. This year …
Read More» Interview of Ambassador Kate Byrnes with Al Jazeera Balkans August 13, 2021 Al Jazeera Balkans: Ambassador Byrnes thank you very much [for] being with us. Ambassador Byrnes: Thank you very much Milka. I’m glad to be here. Al Jazeera Balkans: This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended the interethnic conflict in Macedonia. Is North Macedonia today …
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For the second time, we held some of our Independence Day celebrations on-line due to the situation with COVID. On July 4th, we aired a premiere program on our Facebook profile and Kanal 5 TV, which enabled our audience to participate in our celebration. To watch this year’s July 4th video, click here .
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AMBASSADOR KATE BYRNES’ INDEPENDENCE DAY REMARKS Good evening, Добровечер, Mirëmbrëma, Thank you for joining us tonight for this virtual celebration of the 245th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. For the second time we have decided to hold some of our celebrations on-line. While the situation with COVID is far better today than …
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Remarks of U.S. Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes at the first Skopje Economic Forum (as prepared) June 23, 2021 – Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia Good morning – it is a pleasure to be here with you today. Before I make some brief remarks, I want to thank the organizers of today’s event, Delphi Economic Forum …
Read More» June 11, 2021 Ambassador Byrnes briefed Prime Minister Zaev and Foreign Minister Osmani today on the Executive Order issued earlier this week by President Biden that modernizes the existing executive orders regarding the Western Balkans sanctions regime. In the meeting, they discussed the U.S. priority of ensuring the stability and security of the Western Balkans. A critical …
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May 18, 2021 “Regional Security School: External actors and their impact on the regional security and the integration process of the Western Balkans Region” Ambassador Byrnes: Thank you for the warm welcome. I want to thank the Konrad Adenaur Stiftung Foundation as well as the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies for inviting me to …
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May 9, 2021 Thank you Prime Minister Zaev, for inviting me to participate together with you in this event today. I also want to recognize all of the veterans present, and of course the people of Vratnica. This site is a special one, a place where people from both of our countries can gather to celebrate courage and bravery in the face of danger and conflict. It was …
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April 21, 2011 Deputy Prime Minister Bytyqi, Minister Nuredini, Minister Bekteshi, Ambassador Galloway, and Ambassador Silvestri, we are at a critical juncture. In 2020, the earth’s surface temperature was one of the warmest on record, and in the last few years, global temperatures have been consistently among the hottest ever seen. This increase in …
Read More» Ambassador Byrnes sat down for an interview with Kanal 5 TV to talk about a wide range of issues including current developments, Kosovo, challenges imposed by the COVID pandemic, rule of law, and the importance of North Macedonia not giving up on its EU integration prospects. ——————————————————————— Interview of Ambassador Kate Byrnes with Kanal 5 TV February …
Read More» AMBASSADOR BYRNES’ INTERVIEW WITH TELEGRAFI February 2, 2021 Telegrafi: Will the change of government in the United States affect US foreign policy and positions towards North Macedonia? Ambassador Byrnes: First, I want to thank you for the opportunity to engage with you today. There are a lot of important issues to discuss and I appreciate …
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Ambassador Byrnes hosted President Stevo Pendarovski, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani to jointly watch the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States of America. The presidential inauguration is one of the most important American traditions, highlighting values of democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. Below …
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Remarks of Ambassador Kate Marie Byrnes at the Macedonia 2025 Virtual Summit December 2020 It is a pleasure to be able to address this gathering, and particularly to speak about youth, an issue that is very important to me and is a priority area for our Embassy. The youth of your country are your greatest …
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In the United States, our Thanksgiving holiday is one of the most special times of the year, a day set aside for sharing and giving thanks together with family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Wherever we are, Thanksgiving is a time to open our hearts and our tables to people who make a difference in our …
Read More» Ambassador Kate Byrnes set down with Top Tema on Telma TV to speak about U.S. – North Macedonia relations, the current political situation, the EU accession process, as well as about U.S. elections, and more. To watch the interview, click here .
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U.S. Ambassador Kate Byrnes attended the third Macedonian Energy Forum (MEF), November 23, 2020. This year’s MEF was held virtually, and included Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis R. Fannon, Ambassador of Norway to North Macedonia Jørn Eugene Gjelstad, EU Ambassador David Geer, other government officials, representatives of state-owned enterprises, private business leaders, professionals working …
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On November 14, Ambassador Kate Byrnes joined Minister of Health, Dr. Venko Filipche, and the Director of the University Clinic for Hematology, Dr. Irina Panovska-Stavridis to mark the beginning of the $794,000 U.S. Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid (OHDACA) funded renovation of the Hematology Clinic in Skopje. Speaking at the event, Ambassador Byrnes …
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On October 6, 2020, the American Chamber of Commerce in North Macedonia organized its 20th Annual General Assembly in Skopje. The U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia, Kate Marie Byrnes, joined AmCham’s Board of directors, more than 70 representatives from member companies, as well as honored partners and supporters in attendingthe Assembly to mark the Chamber’s …
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The U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Department of Justice ICITAP provided a donation worth over $160,000, to the Ministry of Interior, Protection and Rescue Directorate, and the Red Cross of the Republic of North Macedonia to support North Macedonia’s efforts to combat the …
Read More» On August 31, Ambassador Kate Byrnes hosted a Virtual Consular Town Hall for American citizens living in North Macedonia. In her remarks, the Ambassador highlighted consular services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming U.S. elections. She encouraged U.S. citizens in North Macedonia to use absentee ballots to cast their votes in the November elections. …
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The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is committing an additional $330,000 to the COVID-19 response effort in North Macedonia through a direct grant to the Red Cross of North Macedonia. USAID’s $330,000 grant to the Red Cross builds upon the U.S. Government’s $1.1 million commitment to North Macedonia to mitigate …
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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF NORTH MACEDONIA FROM U.S. AMBASSADOR KATE MARIE BYRNES Here in Europe, in the United States and around the world we are all grappling with fundamental challenges to life as we have known it. The toll COVID-19 is taking, in terms of human lives and in our daily lives—school, work, …
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President Pendarovski, journalists, representatives of civil society and the media, distinguished guests and colleagues, thank you for inviting me to participate in the opening of this conference today. This event could not be more timely, given the nexus of events—North Macedonia’s imminent NATO membership, the upcoming elections, concerns about the coronavirus—which we know are all …
Read More» The United States has been a strong supporter of North Macedonia’s aspirations to be a prosperous, secure, and inclusive democracy, fully embedded in NATO, the EU, and other transatlantic institutions. A very important part of that is the strong security partnership our two nations enjoy. Just last week in London, we witnessed, for the very …
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Ambassador Byrnes’ Opening Remarks at Women in Industry Conference October 9, 2019 Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Professor Spasevska, Stefan, panelists, participants, media, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for inviting me to speak at this Women in Industry conference. Congratulations to EVN and the Engineering Institute of Macedonia for again organizing and expanding this event to …
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Today, Ambassador Byrnes visited Skopje Basic Criminal Court to mark the start of the use of the U.S. Embassy’s donated audio equipment for recording trials in all 25 courtrooms. “This is an important and concrete step as part of the broader overall effort to strengthen rule of law here. This kind of recording equipment does …
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On October 1, 2019, U.S. Ambassador Kate M. Byrnes joined The Economist’s “Western Balkans Summit,” where she highlighted that the Secretary Pompeo’s visit to the region, and the recent appointment of Matthew Palmer as a special representative for the region signal that the United States remains keenly focused on the region, as a lynchpin of …
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President Pendarovski, Prime Minister Zaev, Honorable Ministers, Members of Parliament, members of the judiciary and political party leaders, Representatives of the media, Friends from the diplomatic corps, Esteemed colleagues, It is an honor and a pleasure to join you here tonight. Not often does such an auspicious group of people gather in one place, but …
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In August, we mark the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. This year, Ambassador Kate Byrnes joined the campaign of the USAID Project “Closer Than You Think,” which aims at raising the public awareness about the impact of slavery. Forced begging is one form of enslaving children. Learn how …
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Remarks of U.S. Ambassador Kate Byrnes at the celebration of the 230th anniversary of the U.S. State Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia August 21, 2019 Esteemed colleagues and friends, So great to see you all here today. Good afternoon and thank you for joining us today to …
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July 12, 2019 President Pendarovski, it is a pleasure to meet you and to offer you my letter of credence. Thank you for hosting this ceremony. I am honored to represent President Trump and the American people as the United States’ Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia. I am especially pleased to start my …
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Remarks at the July 4 Celebration. July, 3 2019. Good evening. Добровечер. Mirëmbrëma. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, friends, colleagues. It is my great pleasure and honor to welcome you to our American Fair celebrating the 243rd anniversary of the Declaration of the Independence of the United States of America. In the United States, …
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Remarks at Opening of “Decisive Strike” Exercise at Krivolak June 5, 2019 Thank you Deputy Minister Maksuti, Major General Arsovski, Deputy Minister Umbrasas, Ambassadors, soldiers, it is a pleasure to be here to launch the Decisive Strike exercise! I want to thank and applaud North Macedonia and the Army of the Republic of North …
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Remarks by Chargé d ’Affaires Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm at the “Next Steps Towards NATO” Seminar in the Parliament May 29, 2019 Speaker Xhaferi, Ambassador Gerberich, Deputy Director Bareihs, Members of the Parliament, Marshall Center and NATO Professors, ladies and gentlemen: It really is my pleasure to be here today to launch this seminar and to kick-off the discussions …
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Monday, December 10, 2018 Ambassador Jess L. Baily Madam Minister of Justice, Mr. President of the Macedonia Bar Association, distinguished judges, and members of the bar, thank you for inviting me to join you. Today we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted in response to the horrors perpetrated during …
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Building Blocks for Speech at the Macedonia Energy Forum 2018 Ambassador Jess L. Baily Thursday, June 7, 10:30 Thank you very much Mr. Deputy Prime Minister for those remarks. I’d like to thank our co-organizer of this event, General Manager of ELEM Mr. Minovski, all the people who put this together, all the panelists who …
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Thank you for inviting me to participate in this event today. One of my first events in Macedonia concerned the rule of law, and it has remained a focus of my time here. Few things are more important in Macedonia than supporting a more transparent, accountable system that respects the independence of the judiciary. This …
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(as prepared) Ambassador Jess L. Baily, (April 4, 2018): It is a pleasure to be here again to mark NATO Day with so many friends and colleagues. This is actually my fourth time on this panel. As I was thinking about this year’s event, what stands out is how different the discussion around NATO is …
Read More» Thank you very much for coming out today and for letting an old guy end this conference and share a few thoughts that I think fit in with the overall theme. As several of my colleagues have mentioned today, USAID is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Macedonia . Over the last several months on social media, you’ve been able to see information and …
Read More» Monday, February 26, 2018 at 12:00 (as delivered) Thank you very much Mr. President. It is a great pleasure to be here. Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the European Parliament, fellow diplomats, ladies and gentlemen, members of the civil society and, of course, the media. I guess perhaps I am the only non-European today, …
Read More» Speech of Ambassador Jess Baily at Law Faculty, University of Cyril and Methodius Skopje, December 11, 2017 Prime Minister Zaev, Mr. Ahmeti, Dr. Taravari, Mr. Silegov, my colleague Louisa Vinton, Professor Kalajdziev, and all the members of the Helsinki Committee staff, thank you very much for organizing this event and being here today. It’s a great honor …
Read More» December 4, 2017 Mr. Dean, thank you so much for that welcome and thank you all for being here- faculty members and most of all students. I’d like to begin by congratulating this faculty for its 40th anniversary in preparing students and advancing knowledge about security issues, and helping develop the professional capabilities of the …
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Prime Minister Zaev, Ambassador Suomalainen, Coordinator Petrevski, distinguished guests, international experts, and participants – It’s an honor to speak with you today. I would like to start off by thanking all those who have worked so hard to make this great event possible: Richard Prosen from the Partnership for Peace Consortium and his colleagues; Borche …
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Ambassador Remarks: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Marshall Center Conference “Republic of Macedonia Towards Fully-fledged NATO Membership” August 30, 2017 at 10:00 a.m., Ministry of Foreign Affairs As prepared Good morning, Ambassador Memedi, Minister Dimitrov, Ambassador Gerberich, and distinguished guests. It is a pleasure for me to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and …
Read More» Krivolak Training Area July 31, 2017 We’ve just been out here seeing our military partnership in action. We’ve seen American soldiers and Macedonian soldiers working together on two specific tasks for engineers. In any of our military operations, engineering is a critical component. This is proving that our soldiers together are up to the task. …
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Ambassador Remarks: Dragoon Guardian 17 Welcome Ceremony July 28, 2017 at 2:00 p.m., Kumanovo Thank you, Mayor Damjanovski It is great to be here today in Kumanovo with you, Minister of Defense Shekerinska, and General Mileski to welcome Lt. Colonel Himes and the Engineer Squadron from U.S. Army Europe’s 2nd Calvary Regiment and launch the …
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Remarks by Ambassador Jess Baily July 6, 2017 Ilinden Barracks, Skopje Thank you, Minister Shekerinska, Deputy Chief of Defense Racaj. I am pleased to be here today to honor the long-term defense partnership between the United States and the Republic of Macedonia. Today we send off 54 soldiers from the Army of the Republic of …
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Ambassador Jess L. Baily June 29, 2017 Dobro vecer, mirembrema, good evening. Prime Minister Zaev, Speaker Xhaferi, ministers, members of parliament, fellow members of the diplomatic corps, ladies and gentlemen, It is a pleasure and an honor for me and Capie to welcome everyone to the U.S. Embassy tonight to celebrate the 241st anniversary of …
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April 4, 2017, 10:30 a.m. Thank you very much for inviting me today! Minister Jolevski, Mr. Ramadani, Ambassador Barišic, Ambassador Carranza, Captain Bartol, members of the Euro-Atlantic Council, ladies and gentlemen. It is a pleasure to be here again at the Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia to celebrate NATO Day. This year’s event seems particularly timely. …
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This is a really fantastic event. I think anybody looking around this room and seeing all these students, teachers, parents, mayors would agree. I am grateful for the Minister to be here today; you can see what an important project this has been for Macedonia over the last five years; but also, it is a …
Read More» The United States was disappointed to learn yesterday that President Ivanov declined to offer to representatives having a clear Parliamentary majority the opportunity to form a new government. We believe that this was inconsistent with basic democratic principles and the rule of law, which are core values of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. As a …
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February 18, 2017 Sitel: Ambassador Baily, senior U.S. Officials, including the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense, are visiting Europe for the first time this week after the inauguration of the new U.S. administration to discuss with European leaders in Brussels and Munich about NATO, the European Union, the challenges …
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January 26, 2017, 10:00 a.m. Minister Poposki, Mrs. Romano-Nikolik, Ambassador Multanowski, Ambassador Oryan (TBC), Mrs. Gutman, Mr. Dzingo, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor to be with all of you this morning. Thank you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for organizing this ceremony, and to Mrs. Gutman for traveling from Israel to be …
Read More» Ambassador Jess Baily Press Availability: December 12, 2016 The U.S. Embassy commends the citizens of Macedonia who exercised their right to vote in the December 11 parliamentary elections. We welcome OSCE/ODIHR’s preliminary conclusions that the elections were competitive and that fundamental freedoms were generally respected. The turnout was high, and the elections proceeded in a …
Read More» Aired on August 20, 2015, at 19:30 MRT: Ambassador, first of all, thank you for this interview for the national television station. Ambassador Baily: My pleasure. MRT: The working groups held their first joint meeting in late July and raised the issue of election legislation. Now, in mid-August, meetings for the implementation of the agreement …
Read More» Ambassador Jess Baily July 15, 2015 Thank you Minister Chavkov. I am pleased to be here today to honor the partnership the United States enjoys with Macedonia, in particular by our shared commitment to enhancing rule of law and law enforcement capacity in Macedonia. In October 2013, the Ministry of Interior and the U.S. Embassy’s …
Read More» Remarks by Ambassador Jess Baily June 8, 2015 Ohrid Good Morning. Mr. Minister, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Slavkovski, distinguished participants: I’m delighted to see all of you here, coming together to address climate change, one of the most critical challenges facing our planet. You gather in this beautiful town at an auspicious time, as later this …
Read More» We deeply regret the loss of life related to the actions in and around Kumanovo, and offer our sympathies to the families of the people killed and to those injured. We are following the situation and are in close contact with the authorities and political leaders. We urge citizens to remain calm and allow the …
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