Skopje, 14 October 2025 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova said she expects, among other things, the issue of the dispute with Bulgaria to be mentioned during European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit, who is arriving to Skopje on Wednesday for meetings with the state officials.

In response to a reporter's question on expectations from the visit, as well as whether there is official communication with Sofia, given Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski's announcements that contacts will intensify after the elections, Siljanovska Davkova said she expects this issue to be raised, adding that the country is always ready to discuss with arguments.

"I expect this issue to be mentioned as well. We are always ready to discuss with arguments. We have always thought that the Bulgarian people are close to us. The Bulgarian state was the first to recognize us, without any conditions, and that is why I am sometimes surprised by the current political behaviour. I am convinced that fate wanted us to live next to each other, we should support each other, we should understand each other, the neighbour cannot be happy if we are unhappy. Therefore, by supporting the other, we support ourselves, because regional issues, problems have brought us closes, made us more cooperative, and even within the EU, if we want to be competitive and heard, we should also defend regional interests," the President said at Tuesday's joint press conference with visiting Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini.  

As regards communication with Sofia, she said it was currently not pursued is by the government because of the elections, adding that there is communication with the neighbour on the sidelines.

"The arrival of Mrs. von der Leyen can be viewed through two prisms, through two angles - one is that it is a regular visit, if you remember, she also visited the region last year, and I believe that is good for the region," said the President.

She noted that there is a need for regional presence, regional support, regional solidarity and regional understanding if we want the Balkans to resemble the Baltics, because, she added, the Baltic States were first and most supported by Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

"That did not happen in the Balkans. There were similar problems to ours before, you remember, between Slovenia and Croatia. The problem has not been resolved yet, but a compromise has been reached. That is the important thing. After the Thessaloniki Summit, we have not seen a clear strategy towards the Western Balkans, but with the Growth Plan, it now seems we're walking together with the EU. That is related to financial support, but it is not en bloc, it is related to reforms. That makes us compatible and closer to the EU because the implementation of the Reform Agenda is in line with the Copenhagen criteria," Siljanovska Davkova pointed out. 

European Commission President von der Leyen kicked off her Western Balkans tour in Tirana on Monday, which includes a visit to Skopje tomorrow. 

The European Commission said von der Leyen is expected to hold separate meetings on Wednesday with President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, and Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi.

Photo: MIA