Skopje, 21 March 2022 (MIA) — Commenting on EU High Representative Josep Borrell’s visit to Skopje last week, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj said that any top EU official visiting the country was a good signal, regardless of the negative public reactions to Borrell's statement that the EU couldn’t promise a date but was willing to start negotiations. Speaking in the “Morning Briefing” TV show, Deputy PM Marichikj said that "no one expects anyone to promise us anything – but we do expect that negotiations start immediately after we meet our reform obligations and we overcome differences with Bulgaria.” “We don’t need any promises,” he said. “We have been given a lot of promises that went unfulfilled. So this shouldn’t upset the public. It is in our interest to start negotiations, so the moment we end our disagreement with Bulgaria, we expect the EU to start negotiations without delay." Marichikj said the purpose of Borrell’s visit was to thank North Macedonia and Albania for the support given to Ukraine by voluntarily joining the EU sanctions as well as to give impetus to the country’s dialogue with Bulgaria. Asked about talks with Bulgaria, he said they were amicable. “Our relations with Bulgaria are calm,” he said. “Any provocations have been brought down to a minimum. In general, there is no negative communication between both governments. The new approach has produced results and we have managed to normalize communication so that it takes place on multiple levels." Asked about the economic crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and whether the country expected any EU assistance, Marichikj said officials were talking to the European Commission and several international financial institutions on ways to support North Macedonia’s economy. “Over the past two months, we have been making great efforts to mitigate price shocks through subsidies from the budget so that citizens don’t feel the crisis. We explained all this to the EC and we are in talks on how and how much they can help,” he said. "There is readiness on their part, according to High Representative Borrell. However, they have yet to decide on how to support not only us but also a number of other countries, because everyone has been hit by this crisis.” mr/