Macedonia and the European Union have defined the format of negotiations on accession of the republic to the EU

The Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the EU defined the format of the negotiations on the country’s accession to the European community, and the discussion was entrusted to the Vice Prime Minister for European Integration Bujar Osmani. This was said on Tuesday by the Prime Minister of Macedonia Zoran Zaev at a joint press conference with the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Johannes Khan. “Today, we with European Commissioner Khan have determined the following steps to prepare for the talks. We gave impetus to the negotiations by creating a negotiating structure on our and on their side,” said Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of Macedonia, at a joint press conference with European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Johannes Khan. Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bujar Osmani was appointed the head of the negotiating group from the Macedonian side. Zaev stressed that negotiations with the EU are a historical task and the main priority for Macedonia. According to him, the government, parliament, opposition parties and civil society organizations will take part in the process. Relations with the Russian Federation The Macedonian government supports cooperation with Russia, but sees no alternative to the country’s membership in the European Union and NATO, Zoran Zaev added. “The Macedonian government not only wishes to confirm its cooperation with the Russian Federation, but also wants to promote it. At the same time, Russia should know that for the Republic of Macedonia there is no alternative, except for full membership in the European Union and NATO,” the Prime Minister said. Earlier, at the meeting of the Government of Macedonia, it was decided to start preparing for the negotiations on accession to the EU. The EU Council on June 26 decided to open Macedonia’s way to negotiations on joining the community in June 2019. The EU Council on June 26 decided to give Macedonia an opportunity to begin negotiations on joining the community in June 2019. This was done after Skopje reached an agreement with Athens on the official name of the country. The dispute between Macedonia and Greece over the name of the former Yugoslav republic, which coincides with the name of the northern Greek region, was active for 25 years. Athens sought to change the name of the neighboring country and opposed its accession to the European Union and NATO. On June 17, the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Macedonia, Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov, signed an agreement under which the former Yugoslav republic is renamed the Republic of Northern Macedonia, but Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov refused to sign the document. Source: TASS