Serbia and North Macedonia continue cooperation in the fight against the Coronavirus

BELGRADE, 20 April (Tanjug) - The Ministers of Health of Serbia and North Macedonia, Zlatibor Lončar and Venko Filipče, discussed the continuation of cooperation in the fight against the Coronavirus today in Belgrade.

Lončar pointed out that cooperation, especially in the time of the coronavirus pandemic, was necessary and stated that he heard from his Macedonian colleague on a weekly basis to exchange experiences necessary for the health of the citizens.

'The Coronavirus does not recognise borders and that is why we must act as if the borders didn't exist,' Lončar pointed out at a joint press conference.

The inevitable topic of today's meeting was the situation regarding the coronavirus and vaccinations said Lončar and added that they also talked about non-COVID patients and how to provide them with the best possible medical care.

He says that they agreed on further cooperation between experts from North Macedonia and Serbia, with the aim of preserving the state-owned health institutions and seeing to it that no neither country would get into a bad situation.

Asked about the vaccination of Macedonian citizens in Serbia, Lončar said that it has been enabled for everyone who resides in our country for various reasons.

'We reach out to all the citizens of North Macedonia who have a reason to reside here, because this situation is not solved by one state within its borders and because we believe that the better our neighbours are, the better it will be for us,' says Lončar.

He adds that it is the principle that the citizens of Northern Macedonia who have been vaccinated in Serbia receive the second dose in our country, but that it can be agreed, if it is easier, to give those doses for the second vaccine to North Macedonia and thus enable their revaccination in there.

The Minister of Health also says that slightly less than 15,000 citizens of North Macedonia have been vaccinated in Serbia so far.

Asked whether Macedonian citizens who do not have a residence in Serbia can come to be vaccinated here, Lončar said that for now it is only possible through the eGovernment portal.

'For those who have nothing to do with Serbia and want to be vaccinated, it is possible only through the eGovernment portal. Do not come here if there is no basis and if you have not checked whether there is a possibility. So, only through the portal or if we organize the vaccination of foreign nationals again without making appointments,' said Lončar.

On behalf of the Macedonian authorities and citizens, the Minister of Health of North Macedonia, Filipče, thanked the brotherly Serbian people for the considerable donation of vaccines.

As he stated, thanks to the donation organized by Minister Lončar, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, the vaccination process has begun in North Macedonia.

He points out that all medical professionals in that country have now been vaccinated and he also thanked for the fact that Serbia has its doors wide open for Macedonian citizens to be vaccinated in Serbia.

'Vaccination and the situation regarding the Coronavirus are a priority,' said Filipče, adding that he also discussed with Lončar about the agreed cooperation with the Torlak Institute.

He specifies that the Institute will be North Macedonia's partner in the coming period, and points out that this cooperation will be needed for a longer period because, as he says, the pandemic will not stop, and the vaccine will become seasonal.

Filipče also states that the Government of North Macedonia will make a decision as a sign of gratitude for the donation of vaccines, that all citizens of Serbia who travel through North Macedonia will be exempt from paying road tolls from 15 June to 15 August.