Restated claim:
The United States and
North Macedonia committed to strengthen economic and national security cooperation to enhance supply chain resilience, combat duty evasion, and cooperate on investment reviews and export controls as part of a framework for reciprocal, fair, and balanced trade.
Evidence of progress exists in official communications announcing a
Framework for negotiating a reciprocal trade agreement. The White House joint statement (Feb 12, 2026) outlines key terms, including elimination of
North Macedonian duties for
U.S. goods (with U.S. reciprocal tariffs at 15%), commitments to address non-tariff barriers, and to cooperate on investment reviews and export controls, among other measures. The USTR released a companion fact sheet detailing the framework and signaling intent to finalize an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade. These documents establish the framework and near-term milestones but do not constitute a fully concluded bilateral trade agreement.
Current status indicates the framework is in place and negotiations toward a formal Agreement on Reciprocal Trade are intended to follow. The White House communication notes the aim to finalize the
Agreement and prepare it for signature, with domestic formalities to occur prior to entry into force. No final agreement or implemented policies specific to the full package are publicly documented as completed as of 2026-02-12. Thus, the effort remains active, with bilateral measures pending completion.
Reliability: primary sources are official U.S. government communications (White House briefing/statement and USTR fact sheet), appropriate for tracking state-to-state negotiations. While outlining commitments and potential tariff steps, they stop short of final ratification or enacted enforcement measures, reflecting an in-progress status. Coverage from other reputable outlets corroborates the framed terms but does not replace authoritative documents.