Brussels, 19 July 2022 (MIA) – Today is not only an important moment for North Macedonia, but also for the European Union. This political Intergovernmental Conference is the end of a long process and the beginning of a new phase of accession negotiations. You can continue to count on our support, and we will continue building a common, prosperous, secure future together, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi told a joint press-conference with Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski and Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky in Brussels on Tuesday. North Macedonia, said Varhelyi, after 17 years of candidate status and 13 years since the first recommendation to open accession negotiations, has shown to be a reliable partner. “I am very confident that with the determination of North Macedonia we can work quickly, hard and effectively throughout the negotiations. Our message today to the citizens of North Macedonia is very clear. We want you in the EU – there is no doubt about that. Today we also send a very powerful message to the whole region, and even beyond,” said Varhelyi. He said they will continue to do all they can to speed up the pace of the accession negotiations of North Macedonia, and the screening of the EU Acquis will begin no later than Tuesday afternoon, which, he underlined, is the first step of the accession negotiations.. “We want you to continue to reach out to the stakeholders, the civil society, to engage with everybody in North Macedonia, because in this process we will need everybody in North Macedonia to work for the country and to work for North Macedonia becoming an EU member state,” said Varhelyi. FM Lipavsky said North Macedonia’s integration was painful and demanding, but in the end resilience, determination and true spirit prevailed. “Today we’ve reached a milestone in the evolution of the EU – North Macedonia relations, and demonstrated clearly the EU’s unequivocal support to the European perspective of the Western Balkans. The future of the Western Balkans is in the EU and I am really glad that this historic moment is taking place during the Czech Presidency of the Council,” said Lipavsky. Lipavsky also welcomed North Macedonia’s full alignment with the EU common foreign and security policy and encouraged it to continue to fully align with it in the future. “We welcome North Macedonia’s determination to advance on the EU reform agenda. The EU is ready to support North Macedonia on its way to become a fully-fledged member of the EU and in fulfilling the conditions of the accession process,” said Lipavsky. North Macedonia’s first IGC marks the opening of the country’s EU accession negotiations. ad/ik/