Skopje, 24 April 2023 (MIA) – Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi met Monday in Prague with the President of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

During the meeting, which was also attended by the speakers from the parliaments of the EU candidate countries, Xhaferi referred to the EU accession process of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Parliament said in a press release.

At the meeting, which was held prior to official start of this year's EU Conference of Speakers, on topic of EU enlargement and priority areas of EU candidate countries, Xhaferi briefed on progress of the screening process, voicing expectation that necessary changes and progress of the state towards the EU will happen in 2023 intended for the benefit of the citizens.

Xhaferi said that the geopolitical changes on the European continent, as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine, only confirm that the policy of enlargement remains the best tool for stability, solidarity and sustainability.

“Welcoming the granting of the EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, Speaker Xhaferi underscored that the clear European perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans, through predictable and accelerated integration processes, are of great interest to the Union from a political, security and economic perspective. And unjustified delay of the accession process could call into question the EU's reputation as a reliable partner and its leading geopolitical role,” reads the press release.

The speakers shared their respective countries' experiences regarding challenegs on their path to EU accession.

“They jointly concluded that even though they are in different stages of the EU accession process, the countries should be evaluated according to their own merits, the process should contain clear conditions, the negotiations should not last too long and the methodology should not be constantly changed. The interlocutors also agreed that the process must be accelerated, as the future of the Union and its security depend on enlargement,” reads the press release.

In addition to Xhaferi, the meeting was also attended by Denis Zvizdić, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Igor Grosu, Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova, Vladimir Orlić, Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine and Agron Gjekmarkaj, Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Albania.

Photo: Parliament