Top diplomats arrive in North Macedonia for security meeting as some boycott Russia’s participation

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Top diplomats from more than 50 countries have arrived in North Macedonia for a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But others are boycotting the event due to the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have said they would not attend the OSCE talks due to Lavrov’s participation during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a brief stop in North Macedonia’s capital on for the meeting but left for Israel before Lavrov arrived in Skopje late Wednesday.