Foreign Minister Beate Meinl Reisinger (Neos) met her counterpart Timcho Mucunski and President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova during her visit to North Macedonia. Topics were bilateral relationships, the EU integration of the Western Balkans and geopolitical challenges.
The EU may “not put in the way of other stones” on its way to European integration, said Meinl Reisinger in Skopje. She praised the efforts of the country on the way to the EU and warned to continue.
“We are not completely without you”
It was important for her to come to Northern Macedonia, said Meinl Reisinger. “We mean it seriously as a fair supporter of the path of North Macedonia on the European Union,” emphasized the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The small Balkans are “an indispensable part of the European unification”: “We are not completely without you.” The EU must also be aware of this: “We at the European Union must also be delivered to the obligation,” she warned.
Support from Austria to dismiss a disaster
Meinl-Reisinger also emphasized the support of Austria for North Macedonia, most recently in the aftermath of the fire disaster in a night club in the small town of Kočani in mid-March. “It is the most terrible thing you can imagine,” she expressed her horror about the accident, in which more than 60, mostly young people were killed and injured around 200. Austria had brought more than six serious injuries to the disaster for treatment.
“With the many geopolitical points of attention, it is important not to lose sight of the Western Balkans. If we miss European integration, the Western Balkans become the play of other geopolitical forces,” Meinl-Reisinger referred to the influence of Russia and China. In addition to her counterpart Mucunski, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also met the North Macedonia parliament President Afrim Gashi and President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
The EU process of North Macedonia is growing
North Macedonia (former self -design: Macedonia, provisional international name: former Yugoslav part of Macedonia, Fyrom) has been an official candidate for the European Union since December 2005, but the process has since been mixed. With the amendment of the name in North Macedonia, a long dispute with Greece was resolved in 2018/2019, which had blocked the EU approach of the Western Balkans. In July 2022, the EU accepted access negotiations with North Macedonia. Since then, the expansion process has been formed by a Bulgaria dispute that requires the protection of the Bulgarian minority in the Constitution.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
