SKOPJE, June 12 (Xinhua) — Macedonia’s new government is committed to implementing reforms towards accelerating country’s European integration process, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Monday.
Zaev made the statement when meeting with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.
Zaev said Macedonia’s government would continue work so it achieved the recommendation for opening of Macedonia’s EU accession talks by the end of 2017, local media reported referring to meeting he had with Mogherini in Brussels.
“Our goal is to secure sufficient progress in the key reform areas by autumn, thus giving the European Commission sufficient arguments to present a new report before member states, including a restored recommendation for the start of Macedonia’s EU accession talks,” said Zaev.
In this regard, he highlighted the importance of opening chapters 23 and 24 of the pre-accession negotiations.
In Zaev’s view, the initiative over new dynamics of the Euro-integration process is in the interest of Macedonia’s citizens, PM’s cabinet said in a press release.
In the meantime, Mogherini expressed firm support to the Macedonian government’s reform efforts, saying Macedonia has an ally in the EU in their implementation, said a cabinet press release.
Zaev also had a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk Monday during which he stressed Macedonia’s new government determination to lead a dynamic reform process towards getting a recommendation for opening of EU accession talks.
“It is also important to have the European Council’s support in finding solutions by which bilateral issues should not represent a long-term obstacle to the Union accession process,” Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told Tusk.
While expressing gratitude for the positive signals from the European institutions in support to Macedonia’s Euro-integration process, Zaev said he hoped the Council would accept the conclusions in December, leading to the opening of accession talks.
According to Zaev, Macedonia has wasted a lot of time in this path so the new government will focus its work on this ambitious objective in order to achieve it.
Tusk told Zaev that he expected Macedonia to improve its image through committed efforts, interethnic and inter-partisan dialogue and good neighborly relations.
