Foreign Policy

Foreign policy is one of the areas in which the President has competencies in terms of the country’s strategic directions, its representation abroad, the way foreign policy is conducted, opportunities for new cooperation, as well as diplomacy staffing.

Article 79 of the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia states that the President ‘represents the Republic. The President of the Republic is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Macedonia. The President of the Republic performs his rights and duties on the basis of and within the framework of the Constitution and the laws.’

The role of the President in representing the Republic is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Law on Foreign Affairs.

In accordance with international law and customs, as the highest representative of the Republic of North Macedonia, the President represents the country internationally, especially in contact and communication with other countries and international organizations. Whenever the President pays an official or working visit to a foreign country, he represents the Republic of North Macedonia, and the official statements of the President are the official position of the state of North Macedonia. Given that the President is elected in general and direct elections and that he draws his mandate directly from the citizens, the President has an additional responsibility in representing the state abroad.

The President of the Republic is the first among the four bodies that have competences in the foreign affairs (along with the Assembly, the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). These bodies determine the general guidelines, make and adopt decisions on activities and standpoints, and implement in mutual cooperation all state activities related to foreign affairs. The foreign affairs bodies create, determine and implement the foreign policy of the Republic of North Macedonia. The President, the Prime Minister and the Minister represent the state in international relations in accordance with international law and customs.

At the same time, President Pendarovski:

– participates in the creation of foreign policy in cooperation with the Government by determining the general directions of foreign policy, including issues of international relations with implications on the security and the defense of the country;

– monitors the implementation of the foreign policy and may inform the Assembly about the results and possible disagreements with other bodies with foreign policy competences;

– makes proposals and participates in taking positions on certain foreign policy issues within its competence, including the security and defense aspects arising from international relations;

– appoints and recalls, by decree, ambassadors and MPs of the Republic of North Macedonia abroad in a procedure determined by the Law on Foreign Affairs;

– gives consent for issuing an agreement to the head of a foreign diplomatic mission;

– receives the credentials and letters of recall of the foreign diplomatic representatives in a procedure determined by the Law on Foreign Affairs.