European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is paying an official visit to Skopje on Friday as part of her tour of the Western Balkans, met with the Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, at the Government headquarters.
Following the meeting, they held a joint press conference where the Prime Minister noted that he highly values her experience in the region and her continued commitment to the European perspective.
Mickoski described the meeting as open, substantive, and focused on issues that directly shape the European future.
“We discussed the reforms and the pace of the accession process, as well as the challenges that have long burdened our path toward the European Union. Our country’s commitment is clear and remains unchanged. We want to be part of the European Union and are working dedicatedly toward that goal. At the same time, we believe the time has come for this process to receive stronger political support from all European institutions. Our European commitment has never been, and never will be, in question. What we seek today is a process that is fair and based on clear rules. We are fulfilling our obligations and implementing the reforms expected of a country, sometimes on time, sometimes with slight delays, but we do complete them, as a nation aspiring to become a member of the European Union,” said Mickoski.
The Prime Minister noted that he also held an open discussion with the President of the European Commission regarding the challenges Macedonia faces in its relations with its eastern neighbor.
“Our position is that these issues should be resolved through dialogue, in good faith, and with mutual respect. During today’s meeting, I also stressed that we expect the European Union to be involved in this process. And we are not asking the Union to take sides,” noted PM Mickoski.