Skopje, 28 September 2021 (MIA) – Our goal is North Macedonia and Albania to start the accession process by the end of the year. The European Commission is talking with Skopje and Sofia to overcome the blockade, said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen at Tuesday’s news conference in Skopje alongside Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. “We are working hard with both sides and with Bulgaria in order to overcome this last hurdle. There are really good ideas that are worth going in-depth that we overcome this last obstacle to start the first intergovernmental conference. Our goal is to start it with North Macedonia and Albania before the end of the year. There’s a lot of work going on. I think that it is a good process, that there’s a lot of talking, there are many topics that can be settled with a good dialogue. The overall goal is to start the accession process, it should not be hindered anymore by these topics. As I said, our goal is to start the first IGC before the end of the year,” stated von der Leyen when asked what is the final hurdle standing in the way of North Macedonia’s accession process. Asked whether North Macedonia and Albania might be decoupled in December or in the spring if the dispute with Bulgaria isn’t settled, von der Leyen said to Brussels it is important to see focus on delivering of results by the end of the year. PM Zaev voiced hopes that an agreement with Bulgaria is possible by the end of the year, based on European values and ensuring respect identity issues, and also based on the proposal of the Portuguese EU presidency, which was taken over by the current presidency holder, Slovenia. “We nourish all European identities here, in our country, and we want our Macedonian identity with the Macedonian language to be nourished. I’m glad we have positive signals in the key area that is being negotiated. The rest is about the roadmap helping us improve cooperation according to the Friendship Treaty. It also contains two notes, for the short and the long name, also non-interference in internal affairs, etc,” he said. The PM urged that the spirit of friendship, cooperation and good neighborliness should be fostered by both sides. Asked for a comment on latest developments between Kosovo and Serbia and whether the country should be still supporting the Open Balkan initiative, Zaev said he remains a champion of dialogue and any other form enabling leaders to discuss possible solutions. “I hope our region will dominantly sit at the table and discuss all possible solutions,” PM Zaev said calling recent tensions between Kosovo and Serbia ‘unpleasant.’ According to him, the Berlin Process is one of the best things that have happened to the Western Balkans on its path to the EU. He said he believed the next German Chancellor will endorse the process. Also voicing concern about the crisis between Kosovo and Serbia, EC’s von der Leyen called for de-escalation and the leaders to sit at the negotiating table.   https://youtu.be/YlPuI7DBHnc