In an interview with EUObserver, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said he hoped Skopje and Sofia would now focus energy on resolving the issue, following Sunday’s elections in Bulgaria.
– It is in Bulgaria’s interest for the region to succeed, he says.
Osmani for “EUOserver” regarding the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, estimates that the events of the 90s will not be repeated in the region. “We are not in a phase where this could turn into war or conflict,” he said, pointing to NATO’s presence.
Osmani stressed that NATO and the maturity of the region, due in part to the European perspective, is a guarantor of stability.
– NATO is the guarantor of political predictability, stability and security. It’s the fuel that drives the engine, added Osmani.
The Foreign Minister points out that resolving the EU accession issue with Northern Macedonia and Albania will also encourage Serbia and Kosovo “to follow the path of reconciliation”.
“This opens the way for resolving the BiH issue,” Osmani said, adding that the fate of the region in some way depends on the opening of intergovernmental conferences with the EU.
EUObserver adds that High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell made a similar statement Monday at a meeting with EU foreign ministers, stressing that intergovernmental conferences with northern Macedonia and Albania should be held as soon as possible by the end of the year. .
– If this does not happen, it will have a negative impact on the credibility of the Union and the whole region, Borrell said then.
The publication reminds that the opening of negotiations has been delayed for years, which has led to frustrations in the country. The European Commission, the EU Observer added, said the delay jeopardized EU support for the region and paved the way for possible Russian or Chinese influence.
“EUObserver” states that Northern Macedonia in 2018 agreed to change its name, after a long dispute with Greece. Bulgaria has since made demands on language and identity issues.
“It is unclear whether Bulgaria will change its tactics, but the new centrist anti-corruption party in Bulgaria, ‘Change Continues’, is likely to form a new government,” the publication added. “Apart from the elections in Bulgaria, there is also political turmoil in northern Macedonia,” EUOBserver commented, adding that “pro-Western Prime Minister Zoran Zaev resigned at the end of October, only to withdraw it later.”
Source: MIA
