Brussels, 19 September 2024 (MIA) - At today's meetings with EU officials, we reaffirmed the commitment of the new Government to continue on the path to full-fledged membership of the country in the European Union, said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timcho Mucinski, at the end of the working visit of the government delegation led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski to Brussels.

"We will continue to work affirmatively and positively and we will continue to deliver results, because that is the main message given by the EU, that they expect results from us in the area of ​​the rule of law, the fight against corruption, good governance and all those policies where we have serious shortcomings in the state," Mucunski pointed out.  

He noted that everything concrete and tangible that the Government has done in the past less than three months, aimed at meeting the highest standards of the EU, is in that direction, as well as what it offers as a solution to the challenge that hinders the process for the country's accession negotiations with the Union.

"In that sense, I believe today was very successful. The dialogue with the European institutions and with the member states will continue," Mucunski added.

As regards the so-called "French proposal plus", i.e. adoption of the constitutional amendments with delayed effect, Mucunski said some of these issues have been discussed with the EU officials, adding that the dialogue continues.

"Of course, what we are saying in public, we are also saying at all these meetings, which is that there is clearly a challenge created by poor decisions made in the past. And I will reiterate, we are working first to protect our national interest in order to have a predictable path towards full-fledged membership, and second to protect the enlargement policy. We believe that with good faith, good will and concrete solutions, a way out of every challenge that exists can be found," Mucunski said.  

The Foreign Minister together with the Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani, accompanied Prime Minister Mickoski at Thursday's meetings in Brussels with European Council President, Charles Michel, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, as well as with the Director-General of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), Gert Jan Koopman. Previously, the Prime Minister together with the other Western Balkan leaders attended a working lunch hosted by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.   

Earlier on Thursday, Minister Mucunski met with NATO’s outgoing Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, at the Alliance’s headquarters. As Mucunski shared on his Facebook profile, during the meeting with Stoltenberg, he expressed personal gratitude for Stoltenberg’s outstanding contribution to Euro-Atlantic security and presented him with a plaque in recognition of his achievements.

Photo: MIA