News
12/18/2018 12:00
Deputy
Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs, Bujar Osmani, had a meeting with
the Minister for European Affairs of Romania, George Ciamba, who pays a working
visit to the Republic of Macedonia right before the takeover of the EU Council
Presidency by Romania from January 2019.
At the
meeting they opened the topics on the challenges Macedonia faces on the road to
EU membership, as well as the role of Romania, especially during their
chairmanship of the EU Council in the first half of the next year.
"Romania
is a long-time supporter of the Republic of Macedonia, especially for our
European and Euro-Atlantic integrations, and today's visit, in a period shorter
than a month after the start of the undertaken EU presidency, is a clear
indicator of the support we are expecting from their presidency of the Council
of the EU "- Osmani stressed during the meeting.
Osmani
referred to the progress of the implementation of the Prespa Agreement, on Plan
18 and its role in maintaining the positive reform impulse imposed by Plan
3-6-9, as well as the other reform activities related to the implementation of
the EU recommendations and the relevant bodies.
"At
the European summits in June next year, at the expiration of the Romanian EU
presidency, we expect confirmation of the decision to start the negotiations,
thus making Romania part of the history of Macedonia as a country under whose
leadership the EU will start the negotiations with the country "- said
Osmani.
During
the meeting, the two interlocutors exchanged views on the European Union
enlargement process, the Euro-Atlantic perspectives on the entire Balkans, as
an essential element in the direction of the stability of the region, but also
on strengthening of the security and stability of the whole of Europe, and the
Deputy Prime Minister Osmani expressed hope that Romania's current interest in
the Balkans will continue at a faster pace, especially in the first half of
next year during their chairmanship of the Council of the EU in the direction
of verification of the European the perspectives of the Western Balkan
countries.