Skopje, 18 October 2022 (MIA) – Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon on Tuesday in Skopje congratulated the government and the Macedonian citizens on historic success for the opening EU accession negotiations. “I am aware that this was a painful and difficult road and therefore North Macedonia has to do everything for the people, to start this difficult reform process. I support the country becoming a full-fledged EU member by 2030, a goal that is realistic, if all citizens are on this path. We will support you, it is important to be aware that the accession negotiations have started,” Fajon said during the joint press briefing with FM Bujar Osmani. Fajon said that they will do everything they need to in order for the country to continue along this path without any problems and at the same time the Macedonian language will not be endangered. “A confirmation for this is the recent signing of the agreement with Frontex, where the Macedonian language will very clearly be a priority language. If I make a comparison, we also had painful experiences, we had to make difficult compromises, but we reached the goal. It will take a lot of commitment, of course the European Commission’s report clearly outlined the problematic points where we have to concentrate more,” Fajon noted. Fajon added that more than 40 percent of the country's legislation is aligned with EU law, which shows that North Macedonia will be successful on that path. FM Osmani underlined that the meeting with Fajon will bring new momentum to the relations and interests of the citizens of both countries, adding that European integration was one of the topics they discussed about. “One of the topics of talks was the start of country’s European integration. We have finally entered the final phase before membership, which is the start of accession negotiations. The European Commission in its report assessed the negotiations as a historic moment and here the Slovenian experience and support in our negotiation process will be particularly relevant,” Osmani said at the joint press briefing. He briefed that they discussed about the start of the screening process, the findings of the European Commission’s report and overcoming political issues. “We also discussed how Slovenia can help us, and I also asked for support during the entire negotiation process to concentrate on reforms, and Slovenia always has an unequivocal position regarding that issue, that this process should be based on European principles and values,” Osmani added. The meeting also tackled North Macedonia's membership in NATO, as an important contributing partner, especially in these important moments of the war in Ukraine. “We also discuss bilateral cooperation and the trends of the trade exchange are positive. We have set a goal to increase the trade between two countries to €500 million. Activating business club between Slovenian and our companies will be an added incentive,” Osmani said expressing content that Macedonian companies contribute with investment worth €30 million. Foreign Ministers also spoke about the North Macedonia’s 2023 OSCE chairmanship, about the preparations and priorities in these historical moments. In the area of support in multilateral relations, we have a good tradition of mutual support in different forms, added Minister Osmani and concluded that the meeting was fruitful and successful, in the interest of the citizens of both countries. “All of Europe is affected by the war in Ukraine, all countries must stand in solidarity. Just as it is difficult for the Macedonian people to cope with high prices, whether they will have a warm home and whether they will be able to buy food, it is the same for the Slovenes. Solidarity is also part of the European process. The European Commission will make a decision and help, and part of the help will be intended for the countries of the Western Balkans,” Fajon said. In terms of multilateral relations, she said that there is a lot of support, because of the war they are trying to maintain peace and security, not to endanger international law and peace. She added that the positions are identical, and North Macedonia has very well adapted the sanctions and condemn the war in Ukraine. FM Fajon described the relations between the two countries, which are of great importance, as very good and friendly. “This year we are celebrating 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Republic of North Macedonia is very important as an investment destination, especially for foreign direct investments,” Fajon said.