On Thursday, February 2, the Council hosted Minister Nikola Poposki and Minister Fatmir Besimi for an off-the-record strategy session to discuss Macedonia’s prospects for Euro-Atlantic integration in advance of May’s NATO Summit and in light of the recent International Court of Justice ruling on the name issue.

The roundtable discussion included NATO, EU, and regional experts as well as members of the Washington diplomatic community.

Minister Poposki was appointed Foreign Minister of Macedonia in July 2011, and prior to his appointment served as a Head of Mission to Macedonia’s Mission to the European Union. Minister Besimi was appointed Defense Minister in August 2011 and previously served twice as Minister of Economy of Macedonia (2004-2006; 2008-2011).