Ohrid, 18 March 2023 (MIA) — Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski held a meeting Saturday with his Kosovo counterpart Albin Kurti, who arrived in the country to negotiate implementation rules for a planned agreement to normalize Serbia – Kosovo relations at an European Union-facilitated meeting in Ohrid.

According to a government press release, PM Kovachevski welcomed PM Kurti and expressed his hope for a good outcome of the meeting, which would be an important step forward for the region’s European integration.

Kovachevski highighted that North Macedonia, through good neighborliness, dialogue and compromise, had reached historic agreements that helped the country join NATO and progress toward the EU.

“It was this approach that ensured our NATO membership, the holding of the first intergovernmental conference with the EU in July last year, and the full protection of the Macedonian language, identity and Macedonian identity symbols,” the release says. 

Kovachevski also reaffirmed North Macedonia's support for Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

The two prime ministers agreed it was essential to find a solution through the Belgrade–Prishtina dialogue and speed up the region’s EU accession. 

They also agreed the hostilities that used to be typical of the Balkans should become a thing of the past and the region should move toward progress, good neighborliness and building a strong economy that would provide citizens with a better standard of living. mr/