The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, met today with Ms. Erato Kozakou Marcoullis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, in the capacity as current Chair of the Council of the European Union.

Key discussion topics were the European integration of the Republic of Macedonia, the reform process and the possibilities for setting a date for the start of accession negotiations for membership in the European Union at the upcoming European Council meeting in December.

President Ivanov stressed that EU membership remains high on the agenda of the Republic of Macedonia, and given the tangible achievements in terms of the reforms, he expressed his expectation for support from all member states for the opening of the negotiations. “Membership of Western Balkan countries is vital for the stability and prosperity of our region, and also for the credibility of the European Union, both locally and globally”, the Macedonian President said at the meeting.

President Ivanov said that the start of the negotiations can only have positive impact on the resolution of all bilateral issues. “In our region, we have already witnessed a positive example of parallel movement in the integration and in overcoming bilateral issues, thus, the Republic of Macedonia expects to be given the same opportunity at the upcoming European Council meeting”, the Macedonian President stressed.

At the meeting, President Ivanov expressed his gratitude for the commitment of the Cyprus Presidency to continue the process of enlargement of the European Union with the Balkans countries and expressed support for the undertaken activities, given the challenges Europe is facing in the recent years.

Common conclusion was that the integration process is also a process of transformation of the societies, thus the integration in the European Union for the Balkan states is the highest priority, and the enlargement policy is considered to be one of the most successful policies of the Union. In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus noted that enlargement is one of the highest priorities of the Cyprus Presidency, that Cyprus supports the European perspective of all Balkan countries and she expressed her hope for a success at the upcoming European Council meeting.