North Macedonia's Foreign Affairs Ministry extended an apology to the citizens and institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina over the disputable postage stamps which showed Bosnia as well as some other countries in the region as part of Croatia “due to an unintentional omission,” North Macedonia's Embassy in Sarajevo told N1.

“The Foreign Affairs Ministry unequivocally and resolutely rejects any connection with this unhappy event, expressing regret to all shares, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia,” the embassy told N1, adding that the disputable postage stamps have been removed from use.

North Macedonia’s Post Office also expressed regret over “unintentional mistake” and “technical omission.” 

“Regional cooperation and good neighbouring relations are the main pillars of the foreign policy of the Republic of North Macedonia, which remains committed to its efforts for further engagement and cooperation with its direct and broader neighbours in meeting the remaining obligations and reforms on the road of European integration,” the embassy added.

In a wish to thank Croatia for support to North Macedonia’s accession to the European Union, the country has issued a postage stamp showing a map of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a WWII puppet state of Nazi Germany, which stretched over most of the territory of modern-day Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as some parts of Serbia, Montenegro and Slovenia.