Skopje, 13 June 2022 (MIA) - Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj during his two-day official visit to Brussels met with the Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Stefano Sannino and the Acting Director General for the Western Balkans at the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Michela Matuella on Monday. Following the meetings, Deputy PM Marichikj said that the EU leaders must seize this historic moment and respond to the current crisis by validating the region's European perspective. “Now is the right time, which we must use, for starting negotiations on EU membership with Albania and North Macedonia. Any EU resistance and restraint towards the Western Balkans will further reduce the European Union's attractiveness and undermine its credibility in the region. Our strategic commitment is membership in the European Union and it would be good to define the enlargement policy this year, in the direction of a credible partnership and with greater commitment to the EU candidate countries and potential candidates,” Marichikj said at the meeting with the Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Stefano Sannino. Sannino reaffirmed that the European External Action Service values our pro-European orientation, and that our country, as well as the entire region, is a strategic partner of the Union. Deputy PM Marichikj during the meeting with Simon Mordue, Chief Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, underscored the importance of enhanced engagement and commitment of the EU at this time in the Western Balkans, which will reaffirm the strategic partnership of North Macedonia with the EU and the general stability of this region to Europe. The open and constructive talks between Deputy PM Marichikj and Acting Director for the Western Balkans at the European Commission’s DG NEAR Michela Matuella were focused on overview of the progress made on the European agenda, emphasizing the intensive work of the Government to meet the tasks and criteria for the start of negotiations, with a special commitment to the European reform agenda, which is pointed out in all international reports. “The Western Balkans belongs not only geographically but also in value to the EU and all countries in the region should become EU members once they meet the criteria. We have fulfilled criteria for a long time and it is time for the EU leaders to show leadership and reaffirm the EU commitment to the Western Balkans and its European perspective. The start of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania will be a success for the entire region,” Marichikj said during the talks with Matuella. Our country’s efforts to implement reforms and to full align with EU common foreign and security policy were commended during the talks as well as its unwavering EU course and commitment and that North Macedonia is seen as a full member of the European family. On June 14, Deputy PM Marichikj is set to brief the Working Party on the Western Balkans Region on the country’s progress in reforms required for the start of membership negotiations with the European Union. Later in the day, he will meet with EU enlargement commissioner Oliver Várhelyi and the European Commission coordinator for North Macedonia Marc Jorna.