Skopje, 29 November 2023 (MIA) - Membership in the European Union is our goal and we have no other alternative, it depends on all of us, i.e. on all political stakeholders who have responsibility in the country, no excuses. An invitation will be sent tommorrow to all leaders of parliamentary parties and to the Parliament Speaker for a meeting to be scheduled for Monday, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said after Wednesday's meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, ahead of the 30th OSCE Ministerial Council. 

According to the PM, talks focused on the European integration process, the elections and amendments to the Electoral Code in line with OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. 

Kovachevski and Borrell discussed the most important reforms and the European integration process, with Kovachevski extending gratitude for the strong support to the country's European integration path, the screening process and the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

"We clearly agree that our European integration must continue and will not stop until full-fledged EU membership," said Kovachevski. 

He mentioned that ahead of the meeting with Borrell, he held a meeting with Blinken who voiced U.S. support to North Macedonia's full-fledged EU membership. 

Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stressed that in order to progress in the accession negotiations it will be crucial to build cooperation and avoid political divide on European Union matters, noting that if the country wants to go on the European Union path, it has to complete the process of adopting the constitutional amendments and to advance in key reforms. 

"These are in the interest of all citizens of this country, it benefits the whole people and North Macedonia as a country," said Borrell. 

In addition, he positively evaluated last week's adoption of the Parlaiment's Rules of Procedure with "everybody on board". 

Borrell said that North Macedonia has done remarkable work at the helm of the OSCE in difficult times. The OSCE is the only platform where the common European security architecture is and should be discussed, despite the attempts by Russia to undermine the OSCE and its fundamental principles and the existing security arrangements. On Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's participation in the OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje, Borrell said Lavrov needs to hear again from everyuone why Russia is being condemned and isolated and then go back to Kremlin and report that.

"It is essential for the Ministerial Council to ensure that the OSCE has all the necessary means at its disposal to function effectively. We don't want to lose the OSCE working capacity. We commend the work that you, North Macedonia, did. You did well. I welcome the proposal that Malta will be the Chairman-in-Office for 2024," Borrell said among other.

Kovachevski and Borrell held a bilateral meeting, with Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj and EU Ambassador David Geer also in attendance. 

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