News
2/6/2019 09:40
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, today hosted the delegations of the Republic of Ireland and the Republic of Finland who pay a working visit to the country.
During the visit, Osmani had a meeting with both delegations led by the State Minister for European Affairs of the Republic of Ireland, Helen McEntee, as well as the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Samuli Virtanen.
"Ireland and Finland have already been enrolled in a positive context in our European integration history, bearing in mind that in 2004, under the Irish Presidency, Macedonia submitted its candidacy for membership in the European Union, and in 2005, the country gained candidate status under the mandate of the Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, who comes from Finland," Osmani said at the meeting, thanking the overall support of the two countries, especially on Finland"s contribution to maintaining the focus of the enlargement of the Union as a country which is the next chair of the European Council and part of the EU presidency trio.
"And apart from speaking in a positive context for the two countries, this also says much about the length of our marathon, which really lasts too long, and that"s why, now that we are at the finish, we have no right to miss this chance" - Osmani stressed, pointing to the progress in the implementation of the reforms of the Plan 18, as well as the readiness of the country to deliver a result for another clean recommendation with a positive report by the European Commission, which Osmani expects to result in confirmation of the decision for negotiations by the European Council in June.