Skopje, 18 October 2023 (MIA) - Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani reiterated on Wednesday that the decision on whether North Macedonia will continue together with Albania on the path to the EU or be decoupled in the negotiations amid the "new accelerated geopolitical contribution to the integration process", is currently in the hands of the opposition MPs.

"If we complete the constitutional amendments on time, North Macedonia opens the chapters and irreversibly enters the European integration process in this perhaps rare opportunity of the Union's opening due to the created geopolitical context. We have never seen such mobilization in the EU in relation to the Western Balkans. But the enlargement is meritocratic and geopolitical (process), both conditions should be fulfilled cumulatively. Which means you have to be ready and there has to be some geopolitical impetus to open the process. The geopolitical momentum is here - the Russian aggression in Ukraine has awakened everyone in terms of the Western Balkans and the European perspective. Only those who are ready will now enter the temporary opening that is happening. It is up to the opposition MPs to decide whether North Macedonia will remain isolated with the rest of the countries in the region that have open issues and miss this serious opportunity that we are facing. So, the country's European future is exclusively in the hands of these MPs, which also includes whether young people will stay here, whether they will have hope for a European standard here, or we will lose an entire generation", Osmani told reporters after the joint press conference with the Minister for European and International Affairs, Education, and Human Resources of the Austrian State of Styria, Werner Amon. 

Asked about the reason for his optimism that the constitutional amendments will be passed and at what level is the communication with the MPs in the context of providing support for the amendments to the Constitution, Osmani said he was certain that the developments in the world will convince the citizens that this is the only right path.

"I think we are not wasting time with these attempts because it is important to convince the citizens that this is the only right path. I also believe that politicians are starting to understand what is happening, that these are really rare times in terms of the opportunities for European integration. History will be the judge of all those who squander this chance for the sake of another parliamentary mandate and for party interests," said Osmani. 

He confirmed that communication is underway in an attempt to reach the necessary majority, without revealing details as to the level of communication.

"I don't think I will help the process if I speak more on that topic right now, but everything is within the framework of democratic convictions," Osmani noted. 

He expects European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Skopje, announced to take place at the end of the month, to bring certain news in relation to the European integration process, which are in line with the country's efforts to see benefits from the process before full-fledged membership. 

Photo: MIA