Russian FM says he plans to attend OSCE meeting in North Macedonia

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he plans to travel to NATO member North Macedonia later this week to attend a conference of a top trans-Atlantic security and rights group, a trip that would mark his first visit to a NATO country since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine. Russia is one of the 57 members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). North Macedonia, which holds the group’s rotating chairmanship, last week invited Lavrov to visit the meeting in its capital, Skopje. NATO members banned Russian flights after Moscow launched its military action in Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Lavrov said Monday that Bulgaria, another NATO member that borders North Macedonia also has issued overflight permission for him.