The Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, in collaboration with Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) and under the patronage of the Ministry of Trade of Türkiye and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia, organized a business forum and bilateral meetings between representatives of the business sectors from both countries on 26 December 2024. The event was part of the visit by Türkiye’s Minister of Trade, Ömer Bolat, to North Macedonia.

In his opening remarks, Minister Bolat described the relations between Türkiye and North Macedonia as "strong and enduring," noting significant progress in recent years in areas such as politics, diplomacy, defense, and economy. He emphasized that, from Türkiye’s perspective, North Macedonia serves as a base for foreign trade and investments. He also announced that both governments have agreed to start updating the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries to include new areas, with the aim of deepening their cooperation.

North Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timcho Mucunski, highlighted in his address that cooperation with Türkiye is a significant priority for our country, given the potential for increasing foreign trade, balancing trade exchange, engaging in joint ventures in third markets, and investing in infrastructure and capital projects. Mucunski emphasized the importance of establishing a more balanced trade exchange between the two countries to reduce the deficit. He encouraged the attending companies to explore opportunities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest, adding that the government will continue supporting such investments.

The President of the Economic Chamber, Branko Azeski, noted that Macedonia and Türkiye have always enjoyed excellent economic and political relations. From the economic perspective, Macedonia gains access to a market of over 80 million consumers through this partnership. Türkiye is ranked as our country’s seventh-largest trading partner, indicating room for growth in bilateral trade. Azeski stated that maintaining and possibly increasing the current level of economic cooperation would provide domestic companies with a secure market. He expressed optimism about new Turkish investments in the country, joint ventures in third markets, and greater participation of Macedonian firms in trade fairs in Türkiye, which he described as a steppingstone to larger global markets.

Tamer Kıran, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), emphasized that the existing Free Trade Agreement and the continuous improvement of the investment climate are expanding and deepening the scope of bilateral and trade relations between the two countries. He noted TOBB’s close cooperation with the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia and President Azeski, expressing optimism that their joint efforts will elevate economic relations to an enviable level.

The forum was attended by the Minister of Economy and Labor, Besar Durmishi; Türkiye’s Ambassador to North Macedonia, Fatih Ulusoy; DEİK President Nail Olpak; TOBB Vice President Tamer Kıran; and President of the Turkish Contractors Association, Erdal Eren.

The event concluded with a panel discussion titled “The Role of Digitalization and Investments in Enhancing Competitiveness,” featuring the Minister of Digital Transformation, Stefan Andonovski; the Director of the Directorate for Technological and Industrial Development Zones (DTIDZ), Goce Dimovski; and Emin Imer, General Manager of “Hepsiburada,” a leading Turkish e-commerce company.

To further deepen cooperation, the business forum included bilateral meetings between representatives of the business communities from both countries, with participation from 64 Turkish companies and over 50 representatives of domestic businesses.