The President of the ECNM, Branko Azeski, held a working meeting with a delegation from the Initiative Board for Macedonian–Israeli Business Cooperation, comprising attorney Michael Goldstein, the Honorary Consul of Israel in Macedonia Gradimir Shumkovski, attorney Toni Menkinoski, and Prof. Trajan Balkanov.

The main topic of the meeting was deepening bilateral economic cooperation, which currently stands at an (unenviable) $47.8 million in 2025. Although this represents a 72% increase compared to the same period in 2024, trade turnover recorded a 20% decline in the first seven months of 2026. While we maintain a trade surplus with Israel, elevating exchange to a higher, more dynamic level is possible through concrete development initiatives:

·         Investments in Key Sectors: Strengthening partnerships, particularly by attracting and realizing investments across four strategic areas—agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and mining.

·         Transport Connectivity: Initiating activities to establish a direct air route between Macedonia and Israel to facilitate business relations, passenger flow, and trade turnover.

·         City Twinning: Deepening cooperation through town-twinning processes between cities in both countries, creating an institutional baseline and a direct bridge for long-term linkage and networking among companies from their respective communities.

At the meeting, held at the Chamber, the discussion was mutually assessed as exceptionally constructive, expressing shared readiness to translate these initiatives into concrete activities. It was concluded that operational communication will intensify in the upcoming period to synchronize the efforts of institutions and business entities toward successfully opening new market prospects and bolstering economic ties.