Hungary is ready to mediate between Bulgaria and North Macedonia in order to find a solution "that is acceptable to both sides", Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a press conference in Ohrid after a joint meeting of ministers from Hungary and North Macedonia. He described as a historic mistake, for which he sees no reason, the decoupling of North Macedonia and Albania on the path to EU accession. The press conference was broadcast on the internet channel of the Government in Skopje.
"The peoples and countries of the Western Balkans deserve much more than what they get from Brussels. North Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005 together with Croatia. Since then, the Croats have joined the EU, while the negotiations with North Macedonia have not even begun. This is a historic mistake that could be compounded because the country will be placed behind Albania, for which I see no reason. The challenge for the government will be to fight this unfair treatment," Orban said at a joint press conference with North Macedonian's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
The Ambassadors of EU Member States made an unanimous decision on Wednesday to decouple Albania’s EU accession path from North Macedonia’s and to formally open the first clusters of negotiations with Albania on October 15. The two Western Balkan countries’ path to EU membership was coupled with the start of negotiations formally launched in the summer of 2022. However, due to disputes between Skopje and Bulgaria, the actual opening of chapters has been held up. The disputes include Skopje's failure to include ethnic Bulgarians in North Macedonia in the country's Constitution.
The Hungarian Prime Minister said the separation of North Macedonia and Albania is difficult to understand and "the EU must also take into account national pride, and the national pride of the citizens of North Macedonia has been hurt."
"If we must be frank, you should have been part of the EU a long time ago, and such EU actions open wounds," said Orban, adding that North Macedonia should start real negotiations with the EU by the end of this year.
"The stability of the Western Balkans and EU integration is very important. EU membership is a huge opportunity. We have all seen that progress being made with it, but EU enlargement has lost its momentum and we need to secure it. We can't ignore the fact that Ukraine and Moldova have received an extraordinary impetus on their path to the EU. However, we must respect the countries that have been working towards this for a long time and are now being put on the back burner, and that is not fair. And that is why we believe it is important for the Western Balkans to be part of the EU and that is why we want a quick process for North Macedonia to join the EU," the Hungarian Prime Minister said.
According to North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, only two parties were happy with the decision of North Macedonia and Albania to be separated on their way to EU membership - "the politicians of the eastern neighbour (Bulgaria) and the opposition" in North Macedonia.
"We should not lose hope and be disappointed, although we have been disappointed many times. I regret that this is happening and that we have to be victims of bilateralisation (of European integration) once again. We will continue to work on the problems at home. It is good that we have friends in the EU and these friends want to spread our voice in the EU, one of these friends is Viktor Orban, and what has happened here in the last two days is a symbol of friendship. I wish the Albanian Government all the best, a speedy conclusion to the negotiations and EU membership. I hope that we can also be part of this family and sit at this table," said Mickoski, who assessed Viktor Orban's visit "as proof of excellent friendly relations and cooperation that are deepening every day."
Mickoski assessed the face-to-face meeting with Orban as constructive. In his words, "a wide range of topics of bilateral and regional importance" were discussed, as well as concrete projects.
"Strategic projects, such as the North-South transport and energy corridor connecting the Balkans with Hungary, which is of great importance for energy security and economic growth of the whole region," Mickoski gave an example, adding that cooperation with Hungary would be key for the successful implementation of these initiatives.
Together with ministers from the Hungarian government, Viktor Orban is on a two-day official visit to North Macedonia, and in addition to the meeting of the two prime ministers and the joint meeting of representatives of the two governments, bilateral meetings of ministers from North Macedonia and Hungary have also taken place in Ohrid.
/DT/
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