Skopje, 10 May 2023 (MIA) – As part of his working visit to Ireland, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani addressed the Irish Parliament’s Joint Committee on EU Affairs on Wednesday.

In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Osmani briefed the Irish MPs - members of the Committee on EU Affairs, about North Macedonia’s EU integration process, noting that in the past two decades the country has been a proven and reliable partner of the EU, fully aligning with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, as well as a credible NATO member and a responsible member of the international community by chairing OSCE in the current, unstable geopolitical situation.

“North Macedonia has proven its commitment to its primary foreign policy goal – EU membership, through smart and visionary decisions in the past 30 years, within its borders, towards its neighbors and on an international level, building an energetic, multiethnic democracy through a culture of dialogue, peaceful solution of bilateral disputes, goodneighborliness and regional cooperation by respecting the international order based on rules and values,” said Osmani.

Speaking about the challenges ahead of the country on its path to EU membership by 2030, the Foreign Minister underscored the necessity of giving North Macedonia a chance to get closer to the EU through concrete short-term measures during the accession process, which, in turn, would increase the citizens’ trust in the certainty of the final goal – full-fledged EU membership.

“North Macedonia has never taken shortcuts when fulfilling its EU accession criteria and will continue to move forward, securing a future for its citizens and progress for the country through the implementation of the reform agenda. However, precisely because of this, it is important to inject greater credibility in the process through closer integration before accession,” concluded Foreign Minister Osmani.

Photo: MFA