Skopje, 15 May 2025 (MIA) - European Council President António Costa, as part of his Western Balkans tour, is paying a visit to Skopje on Thursday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.

After the meeting at the Government, Mickoski and Costa will hold a joint press conference.

Before arriving in Skopje, Costa visited Belgrade and Sarajevo. His visit to the region is intended to reaffirm the EU's commitment to the region, and the prospect of the Western Balkan countries' integration in the EU.

"Enhancing cooperation with the Western Balkans is a top political priority for the EU and for me personally," Costa said ahead of the trip to the Western Balkans.

He pointed out that he is visiting the region to discuss with Western Balkan leaders persisting challenges and showcase that the EU stands ready to help.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Wednesday he would convey the Government’s positions on the constitutional amendments to the President of the European Council, António Costa, during his visit to the country on Thursday.

“Our positions are clear when it comes to the constitutional amendments and there have been no changes since we can’t see any signs from the other side that there has been any change in behavior, i.e., by our eastern neighbor. I regret that this is the case and I hope that in the period to come we will speak more about the solutions than about the problems,” Mickoski said in answer to a journalist’s question about his expectations from the visit.

Mickoski added that upon Costa’s invitation, he would accompany the EU Council President during his flight to Tirana, where Costa will host a dinner for the Western Balkan leaders. On Friday, he said, he would have meetings in Tirana as part of the European Political Community.

The visit of EU Council President António Costa to Skopje next week is another strong sign of the priorities of the European Union. The fact that he is visiting the Western Balkans, that he is coming to Skopje, is a proof that we are open for enlargement, says Polish Ambassador Mariusz Brymora in an interview with MIA on May 9.

"From my own perspective, I can also mention that our Prime Minister Donald Tusk will be visiting Skopje in the next few months, and this is another sign that we care for North Macedonia, that we support North Macedonia, that the Presidency, the EU Council are in favor of North Macedonia's opening of the negotiating process. A strong sign that we'll wait for a response from the Macedonian side," says Ambassador Brymora, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency.

Photo: MIA archive