Skopje, 23 March 2023 (MIA) – If you don’t want your youth to move to the EU, then you should bring the EU here, said German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock at a joint press conference Thursday with her Macedonian counterpart, Bujar Osmani.

 “I want to express my respect and recognition for the steps North Macedonia has taken on its EU path. We know what kind of compromises and concessions you have made, from the name change to agreeing to amend the Constitution last summer. I know that the agreement you reached with Bulgaria wasn’t easy for you and that’s why I am addressing all the people who still feel a kind of discomfort about that. The Constitution is not something that is amended constantly, these are important steps and I can understand that they are being discussed – especially when it comes to personal identity, history, language and culture,” said Baerbock.

According to Baerbock, this is why it’s important “not to lead debates with black and white arguments during times like these, when personal identity is concerned, but to change the way we talk in politics.”

 “It was important that you traced this path especially when it comes to the various challenges. With these brave political decisions the accession negotiations will officially be able to begin and you, with this political decision and political capital, have sent a clear signal to the entire region – we want EU accession and we will do anything that is necessary to achieve it. When it comes to implementing what has been agreed, I have to encourage you – use all available means to ensure that the process continues in the coming months, to avoid failing at this crucial moment,” stressed Baerbock.

The agreed constitutional amendments, said Baerbock, should not become a political apple of discord in the parties’ competition for popularity in the polls.

“Democracy is sometimes strenuous, but I think that everyone must add something to these efforts which have been expressed through compromises a hundred times, no one can impose their complete idea, and these democratic compromises are worth all the effort. They are the best protection ensuring that our children can live in peace and freedom in the future, without dependence, without meddling of third parties that are undermining this peace and freedom of the countries and people,” said Baerbock.

According to her, the great danger for the future of democratic countries is when the youth does not see the future in only one country, but also in others.

“There may be various reasons for this, but we have seen in the past years that the young people want to do this, and it’s normal for them to live freely, to choose where they can live, to work wherever they want, to be able to see economic progress in their own country. However, expectations are often unfulfilled, and politics and society failed to do this. You turn your back and you move to another European country, because your country hasn’t become an EU member. We have seen this and I can openly say that we in Germany aren’t very unhappy about this because we have a labor shortage, we need young people, but we don’t want the young people to come because they could also have a good life here as well,” stated Baerbock.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Osmani said that the German Minister is visiting the country at a crucial time, when North Macedonia is chairing OSCE and two regional platforms in 2023, which says a lot, he said, about the new regional position of the country.