Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski participated in the Budapest Balkans Forum 2026 in Hungary, taking the floor at the panel "Central Europe and the Western Balkans in the New Geopolitical Era." Alongside Mucunski, the debate featured Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto and Montenegro's Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Filip Ivanovic.

Mucunski emphasized that Macedonia has a strongly pro-European society and that the government is committed to European reforms and full alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. "Our task is to be a predictable partner to the European Union, but we expect the same in return," he stated, noting that predictability must be reciprocal. In this context, Macedonia expects a clear, credible, and predictable EU enlargement process.

The minister highlighted the strategic importance of Corridors 8 and 10 for regional security, the economy, and trade, and underlined the construction of an interconnector with Greece that will enable access to liquefied natural gas from the Alexandroupolis port. Among the Foreign Minister's priorities was also the strengthening of the partnership with Hungary, a country Mucunski described as "a strategic partner and supporter of Macedonia's European path."

Mucunski added that in conditions of intensified security and geopolitical challenges, governments must quickly adapt and cooperate, as cooperation is "the only real option." The visit to Budapest is part of Macedonia's diplomatic engagement in the region at a time when geopolitical upheavals, primarily the Iran conflict and the situation in Ukraine, have increased pressure on EU enlargement.