Skopje, 22 June 2022 (MIA) – North Macedonia has proven friends in EU member states. These are countries that look to the future, not the past, and that give full support to our country, Albania, and the region in achieving the strategic goal – EU membership. If there’s no progress in the EU integration process, it will be a major issue and blow to EU’s credibility in the region, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski posted on Facebook. “Edi Rama, Aleksandar Vučić and I decided today to once again reaffirm the position that North Macedonia, Albania and Serbia have a European future.  We decided that we should reiterate our commitment to the European path of the whole Western Balkans to the friendly countries, which are committed to the economic and political progress of the region and which are committed to swift and decisive European integration,” says Kovachevski who is in Brussels together with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, where they will participate in the EU-Western Balkans Summit. He stressed that the three leaders will reiterate at the Summit their position on the region’s European integration process. “If no progress of the European integration process is ensured, it will be a major issue and a blow to EU’s credibility in the Balkans. We will convey our position on this topic together at the EU-Western Balkans Summit, in a wide format, at the center of European diplomacy,” said Kovachevski. President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić also said that following detailed consultations the leaders of the three countries decided on Wednesday to jointly participate in the Summit, agreeing on the principles that will be the main pillar of talks with EU representatives, reads a press release of the Serbian President’s office. It adds that Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania represent the interests of their citizens and the whole Western Balkans region and the decision to jointly participate in the Summit in Brussels is “another step towards progress but also a clear signal that despite numerous obstacles, we continue to make a constructive contribution on the path to European integration.” Earlier on Wednesday, Albanian Prime Minister Rama said in a Twitter post that after lengthy consultations, the three leaders of the Open Balkan countries decided to go to Brussels despite not having high hopes for the summit. “We’ll attend the EU Council meeting. There won’t be much to hear about us but we’ll ask to be heard on the idea of a New European Political Community which we support, on the Open Balkans which takes forward the spirit of Europe and on our kidnapping by Bulgaria which destroys it,” Rama wrote. “Just heard right now that something is moving today in Bulgaria,” he added in another tweet. “Too early to be optimistic and too little to change the part of tomorrow’s speech where Bulgaria is criticized as a country which has kidnapped two NATO countries while there is a hot war at Europe’s border!” Kovachevski, Rama, and Vučić were invited together with other Western Balkan leaders to meet with EU member state leaders on Thursday, ahead of the EU Council summit during which EU enlargement will be discussed.