Skopje, 20 June 2022 (MIA) – President Stevo Pendarovski met Monday with Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin, discussing bilateral relations, North Macedonia’s prospects for the start of the EU accession negotiations, current political and economic developments in Europe, and Finland’s NATO membership application. President Pendarovski welcomed the tendency of enhancing political relations with Finland and thanked Helsinki for its consistent and continued support to North Macedonia’s European integration and the EU enlargement policy as a process of strategic significance for the region, the President’s Office said in a press release. Pendarovski and Marin exchanged opinions on the coming European Council and Bulgaria’s blockade, with the former noting that the enlargement process should not be held hostage to domestic politics of Union member-states. The President also welcomed Finland’s initiative to join NATO, saying that North Macedonia is a champion of the Alliance’s open-door policy. He added that Skopje unconditionally supports Finland’s NATO membership, which would strengthen not only the security on the north of Europe but also Alliance as a whole. Interlocutors also discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation and manage geopolitical challenges imposed by the crisis in Ukraine, reads the press release.