Skopje, 11 May 2026 (MIA) - Enlargement is an imperative for the European Union and candidate states, said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Brussels on Monday, chaired by High Representative Kaja Kallas.

FM Mucunski said the Western Balkans should stop being Europe's "gray zone" through the creation of a group of states with a clear and credible path to EU membership, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a press release.

Mucunski said the country has achieved concrete results in the implementation of the Reform Agenda, especially in recent months, adding it is fully aligned with EU's common foreign and security policy, thus reaffirming its commitment to reforms and the clear orientation to Union membership.

"Our message to the member-states is multilayered. We need to move away from the bilateralization of accession criteria but also enhance the engagement on issues that go beyond the enlargement process, especially in the fields of defense and security, economy and trade, energy security, food security and digitalization," said Mucunski.

The FAC discussions tackled EU's relations with the Western Balkans, followed by the current foreign policy and security developments, with a focus on the further strengthening of cooperation in the fields of foreign, security and defense policy, Russian aggression in Ukraine, as well as broader regional consequences from current global developments.

In his remarks, FM Mucunski highlighted the country's strong commitment to be EU's credible partner in the management of the global challenges, while also referring to the importance of involving the region in the Union's initiatives towards strengthening the collective capacity and resilience to outside security threats.

Discussions also stressed the importance of the EU enlargement process in the current geopolitical context as a strategic investment for the long-term stability and security of the region and Europe, reads the press release.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade