Pahor: Skopje did everything, and more; what it got from EU in return – nothing, even less
Skopje, 1 September 2021 (MIA) — The European Union has to start talks with North Macedonia and Albania. This issue should remain a priority for the EU and should be solved as soon as possible, said Slovenian President Borut Pahor in his address to the Bled Strategic Forum on Wednesday.
According to an official press release, Pahor said the problem was no longer just political. “The situation has become much more concerning for the EU,” he said, adding that North Macedonia “for its EU perspective did everything, and even more,” and in return “it got nothing, and even less.”
“This has severely damaged the EU's credibility,” the Slovenian President said.
Acknowledging that EU enlargement was not a priority at the moment considering current problems in the EU, Pahor said he still believed that progress in the negotiations with Macedonia and Albania should remain a priority.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pahor met with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum.
They agreed that Slovenia and entire Europe were looking forward to finding a solution to the issues between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, and the current Slovenian EU presidency was a chance to rise to the challenge.
According to the official press release, at the meeting, Pahor reaffirmed Slovenia’s support for European enlargement with the Western Balkans. With the mediation and support of the Slovenian presidency, he said, an acceptable solution could be found to unblock North Macedonia's EU integration.
“Prime Minister Zaev and President Pahor said that leaders exist to find solutions and that modern life and global trends require courageous and wise steps by European political leaders,” the release says.
The prime minister highlighted that Europe recognized the courage that the citizens of North Macedonia showed and that the country accepted European values and did everything to move forward on the European path.
He also welcomed Slovenia's determination during its EU presidency to take bold decisions and solutions in favor of enlargement, the release adds. mr/
