Skopje, 14 July 2022 (MIA) - Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi on Thursday met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before she addressed the Macedonian assembly. Recalling that membership into NATO and the EU have been the country's goal since declaring independence, Xhaferi said he was confident that the members of Parliament will chose the right path at a time when the country is on the threshold of starting the negotiations process with the EU, his office said. Decisions are made, Xhaferi noted, to respect the main issues concerning the public, including the Macedonian language, culture, history and identity. "Macedonian language will be registered without footnotes, said Speaker Xhaferi adding he was convinced that time will tell that the right decision was made," said the press release. Saying it was her honor to be in the country during such decisive moments, EC President von der Leyen said the European Union is aware that the country has achieved a lot and is moving in the right direction. She said she hoped that the revised French proposal that protects the Macedonian language and identity will be approved. "von der Leyen said the Parliament vote will be closely watched, stating that the screening process would start immediately after the holding of the first intergovernmental conference," said the press release. Speaker Xhaferi said he believed in the determination of the 27 member countries to unblock the process after 17 years and hoped that the opening of negotiations will reduce public pressure. He also said he expected the process to be finalized in due time.