Canada-North Macedonia relations
On this page
- Bilateral relations
- Trade and investment
- Development assistance
- Military and defense cooperation
- Partnerships and organizations
Bilateral relations
The Republic of North Macedonia gained independence in 1991 and since then Canada and North Macedonia have enjoyed positive bilateral relations. Approximately 43,000 Canadians self-identified as being of North Macedonian origin in the 2016 census, but the North Macedonian diaspora in Canada claims the number is considerably higher.
Canada’s bilateral priorities are to encourage continued reform efforts in North Macedonia, enhance trade and investment relations, and support progress in North Macedonia’s EU accession.
Canada is represented in North Macedonia by the Embassy of Canada to Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro, in Belgrade, and maintains a consulate in Skopje run by an honorary consul. North Macedonia opened an embassy in Ottawa in 1996.
Trade and investment
Merchandise trade between Canada and North Macedonia totalled $29 million in 2023. Canadian exports to North Macedonia have tripled in from 2022 to 2023, due almost exclusively to new porc ($7.1M) and beef ($1M) meat exports. Other top exports in 2023 consisted of other food preparations ($424K), and electric sound or visual signalling apparatus ($197K). Canada’s top import from North Macedonia in 2023 remains tobacco ($4.7M). Other imports included clothing ($4.3M), prepared vegetables, fruits, and nuts ($2.5M), electric machinery ($1.4M), and appliance parts ($1M).
North Macedonia offers commercial opportunities for Canadian companies in areas such as mining, information and communication technology, defence and security and clean technology.
The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) is active and promotes collaboration with the Canadian business community to improve the investment climate in North Macedonia. Much of this activity is channelled through the Canadian-American initiative ‘Macedonia 2025’, which trains young North Macedonians in modern business practices.
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Development assistance
Working with the government and people of North Macedonia, Canada encourages political and economic reform in the country through supporting civil society initiatives. Through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), Canada supports human and minority rights, democratic development, good governance, respect for the rule of law, public sector capacity building, conflict prevention, peace-building and security sector reform.
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Military and defense cooperation
With the support of Canada, North Macedonia became the 30th NATO member in 2020. Prior to its inclusion as a NATO member, North Macedonia was an active participant in NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and provided troops to multilateral peacekeeping operations.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and North Macedonia work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- La Francophonie
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Open Government Partnership (OGP)
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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