North Macedonia is seeking Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to attend the annual OSCE Ministerial Conference in Skopje, but his attendance remains uncertain due to EU sanctions on Russian flights. The country’s Foreign Minister, Bujar Osmani, stated that the decision to allow flyovers for international organisations like the OSCE is up to member countries, including North Macedonia.
Lavrov’s plane would take him over Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, or Serbia under normal conditions. However, due to Russia’s war against Ukraine and the EU ban on Russian flights, any possible route for a Russian state plane from Moscow to Skopje would be more complicated and dependent on the will of individual EU and NATO countries, as well as North Macedonia. The only possible alternative might be a commercial route to Serbia, which still allows Russian flights. Lavrov has expressed his wish to attend the conference, and the event could prove of key importance for the future of the OSCE, which has faced challenges due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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