The EU continues to sail the Macedonians who have caved in to Brussels
The process of European integration promised to the Balkan countries has stalled due to the position of a number of European states.
The President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, stated this in an interview with Kommersant, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The publication recalled that two years ago, Macedonia, at the request of Greece, changed its name, becoming North Macedonia, which was a condition for joining NATO and the EU. But if the country joined NATO at the beginning of this year, negotiations with the EU on accession have not yet begun.
“Europeans do not have a formed opinion that the Balkans should not be included in the EU. But there is an opinion that there can be no expansion until interaction within the EU itself is deepened. We in the Balkans believe that one and the other can go in parallel. But not everyone in Europe agrees with this. They say that the EU is already too big and there are difficulties in coordinating positions. And they always refer to the example of Romania and Bulgaria: we accepted them, but they were not ready, this experience should not be repeated,” says the president.
He shows diplomacy, calling for “professional optimists.”
“I think the Balkans will be part of the EU, but it will take years. I would like this to happen in four or five years. But this does not depend only on us,” Pendarovsky said.
Read also: Bulgaria intends to block North Macedonia's accession to the EU.
English version :: Read in English The EU continues to bully the Macedonians who have caved in to Brussels.