Skopje, 1 September 2021 (MIA) — Europe is our only family and being our family, we expect it to accept North Macedonia, which is in the heart of the continent, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in his address to the Bled Strategic Forum "The Future of Europe: Enlargement” panel Wednesday. “For us, the EU has no alternative. The situation in North Macedonia is similar to when someone wants to be accepted by a family to which he has always belonged, and Europe is our only family,” PM Zaev said, adding that the country would stay committed to becoming the next EU member state. He recalled that North Macedonia had been a candidate country for 16.5 years and signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement in 2001, right after Slovenia, and before Croatia did. “We have implemented all the reforms required in the EU membership accession stage and met all criteria set by Brussels regarding enlargement,” Zaev said. “We have 12 recommendations and a final recommendation by the European Commission with the European Council that the country can start membership negotiations by organizing the first intergovernmental conference. “We have excellent relations with our neighbors and we have overcome open issues, which opened the door for us to become the 30th member of NATO. “We have a functional multiethnic society that has been recognized as a role model for others, and I hope we will finally start negotiations on the EU membership chapters." North Macedonia's Prime Minister also spoke about the Open Balkans initiative, which he said was dedicated to boosting cooperation between regional countries toward achieving European standards for the quality of life for all citizens as well as to keep them motivated to join the EU. Slovenian President Borut Pahor said this year’s forum was dedicated to the Western Balkans and that the region, as a part of Europe, should actively participate in EU enlargement. Delaying enlargement, he said, would have serious consequences. President Pahor pointed out that the EU enlargement with North Macedonia and Albania was not only a political but also a moral obligation for Brussels. According to the government’s press release, the panel was also attended by Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Janša, members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić and Šefik Džaferović, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, and Christian Schmidt as Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. mr/