Slovakia supports North Macedonia’s European perspective and does so as a friend, partner, and ally. At the same time, we are clearly stating that enlargement as a process must be fair, predictable, and based on the same rules that apply for all candidates, said Slovak President Peter Pellegrini at a press conference Tuesday with Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova who is visiting Slovakia.
According to Pellegrini, this means that candidate countries must also meet the agreed criteria, but that the European Union must also send a clear signal that meeting the conditions will mean concrete steps forward.
“This is also important for the trust between citizens in the candidate countries. During my visits to the Western Balkan countries, I said that there should be no shortcuts and that there must be no unnecessary obstacles, that all conditions must be applied to everyone, and the European commitment must have its importance. Slovakia respects joint decisions within the European Union, we all respect the voice of each member state. The alliance in the European Union cannot be built by bypassing sensitive issues, on the contrary, on good neighborly relations, on dialogue and on all the commitments that have been made,” said President Pellegrini.
Our ambition, he added, is not to resolve sensitive issues from the perspective of a judge, but the proposal is to respect the European perspective of the region, while also respecting the dignity of all parties involved.
According to the Slovak president, both Macedonia, but also the region of which it is a part, is very important for the whole of Europe and that it should expand, above all in terms of stability. The Western Balkans, he stressed, must not remain a space for geopolitical competition and games.
“Slovakia’s position is clear: a stable and prosperous and European-oriented Western Balkans, because this is in the strategic interest of the whole of Europe,” said President Pellegrini.
