North Macedonia’s NATO membership is a strong signal that the Alliance doors are open and these are not just words but a reality that gives optimism to all of us. I hope the opening of the EU accession negotiations will also be a strong signal for Georgia, because this is our common perspective, said Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Monday.

President Pendarovski and visiting counterpart Zourabichvili held a joint press conference after their meeting.

“We saw North Macedonia overcome a serious obstacle on its path to NATO membership. I am convinced that the country will be able to overcome the present obstacle too. Small countries like us have demonstrated resilience in the past, faced with invasions and occupations, we learned how to be resilient and stubborn. Small countries are optimists because we see results. North Macedonia’s result of joining NATO is a very strong signal for Georgia that the Alliance’s doors are open and these are not just words but a reality that gives optimism to all of us. I hope the opening of the EU accession negotiations will also be a strong signal for Georgia, because this is our common perspective,” Zourabichvili told reporters.

President Pendarovski did not comment the statements of Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi related to the decoupling of North Macedonia and Albania on the EU path, but noted that his impression from the meeting he recently had with Varhelyi in Brussels was that the commissioner sees the delay of the Bulgaria dispute similarly to the dispute with Greece as a potential opportunity.

“I assure you that none of my interlocutors during my visit to Brussels asked the question about the possible decoupling of the two countries. Literally no one in the Council, the Commission and all departments thinks of this, and all efforts are focused on holding the first intergovernmental conference in the course of the year,” said Pendarovski.