Athens, 13 September 2023 (MIA) - North Macedonia solved the name problem and we can say it is moving in the right direction and has started the negotiations, said Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn on Wednesday, MIA reports from Athens.

FM Asselborn held a joint press conference with Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis on the European perspective of the Western Balkans, with the former saying it is a duty and challenge for the EU to accept these countries 20 years after the Thessaloniki Agenda.

"The Balkans is the yard of Europe, not of Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey or China. We have to encourage the Balkan states to do what is doable in order to join the EU. Each country has its own challenges. Their future and the future of their youth lies within the EU. Therefore, they will have to do everything to become members, because 20 years have passed since Thessaloniki," said Asselborn.

FM Gerapetritis reiterated Greece's support to the region's EU perspective, saying each individual country has its own traits, whereas criteria set by EU institutions must be respected.

"Today I had the opportunity to meet with the Deputy PM of North Macedonia on issues related to the enlargement with the Western Balkans and especially of our neighbor. I conveyed our country's firm position that we encourage the integration of the Western Balkans in the European family," noted Gerapetritis.