Brussels, 15 November 2021 (MIA) – Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani met Monday in Brussels with Bulgarian counterpart Svetlan Stoev and warned that the EU is becoming unattractive for voters in the Western Balkans, MIA reports from Brussels. FM Osmani was quizzed whether North Macedonia and the entire region would be under threat if the country failed to start the EU accession negotiations in December. “I believe that problems will begin when the EU is no longer the winning ticket at elections and we are already moving towards the European idea no longer being the winning one. This is when the bad scenario for the entire region emerges, when nationalistic, retrograde rhetoric resurfaces. Then we will have to manage crises instead of future,” Osmani told MIA. Osmani took part at an event hosted by the Bruges-based College of Europe, including the foreign ministers of the Western Balkans, where the Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina FMs warned that the region is moving towards destabilization without excluding civil conflicts. “We are closely monitoring developments in Bosnia and the Kosovo-Serbia border. Still, the fact that three regional countries are NATO members instills a bit of confidence in the process, but we have to be cautious. Nevertheless, I think that a disrupted EU credibility in the region adds oil to this potential, latent fire. However, I do not believe that a conflict similar to that of the 1990s will happen,” said Osmani. The FM shared the impression he got from the meeting with Stoev that both sides are moving towards a more predictable stage in bilateral relations. “We exchanged opinions on the turbulent developments in both countries, with a feeling they are set to be more predictable after the elections, which ensures a more focused approach in finding a solution. Therefore, efforts between the two ministries will have to intensify in the coming days, in the anticipation of a sooner formation of a government in Bulgaria that is, for them, an important aspect in reaching a solution,” said Osmani while adding that no one can guarantee anything and Skopje remained cautious following prior disappointments. He noted that discussions and a solution are possible both from a technical and legal standpoint even without a new government in Bulgaria. “This is possible, legally speaking, in circumstances of an elected president next week, but much will depend on the composition of the new government and its stakeholders. In any case, what I see in Brussels is that the alarm is on across Europe for a solution by the end of this year and this alarm is also heard in Washington. No one can guarantee whether this will produce results,” said Osmani. Whatever the outcome, he reiterated, North Macedonia has no alternative to the EU. “There is no Plan B, be it geographic, political or any other. We are part of Europe, we will be a part of EU. Without justifying Europe’s sluggishness on enlargement, let me take Spain as an example, a country that waited for 25 years to join the Union, or the UK that was twice rejected and two decades passed until it became a member. We will have to endure on this path because we have to alternative. Of course there are options on how to reach the goal but no alternative to the EU,” said Osmani. On the domestic political crisis, he said the incumbent ruling coalition should continue to stabilize the country’s strategic objectives and “once this is achieved, all other solutions are much easier.” The FM noted it would be good if Zoran Zaev remained in the PM’s post but the decision is ultimately his, while adding that DUI does not feel threatened. “DUI has confirmed its legitimacy among the ethnic Albanians, being the only party that saw an increase in the number of votes at the recent elections. In any constellation, DUI will steer the country’s Euro-Atlantic processes,” underlined Osmani.