North Macedonia will abolish all import tariffs on goods from the United States in a bid to encourage the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to take reciprocal action, authorities said.
“By unilaterally removing customs duties, we are sending a message to accelerate the process of reciprocity in trade exchange,” Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska said, according to the Associated Press.
In May, Washington imposed a 33% tariff on exports from North Macedonia. Trump at the time said he would reduce tariffs for countries that reach an agreement with the White House.
“We’re bringing back the wealth that former, very naive presidents gave away without knowing what they were doing,” Trump told reporters in April.
Skopje’s decision comes just days after Foreign Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and follows praise from the U.S. administration for its recent trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
“More and more countries are negotiating in good faith with the Trump administration, and whenever a proposal to lift tariffs and other non-tariff barriers emerges, it’s a sign that President Trump’s tariffs are delivering results for American industries and workers,” White House Deputy Spokesman Kash Desai told The Hill.
The U.S. Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.