DUI leader Ali Ahmeti issued a statement congratulating Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on the opening of EU accession talks, and expressing regret that Macedonia is not opening the talks as well.

I sincerely congratulate to all Albanians, and to Prime Minister Edi Rama, and his entire team, who worked tirelessly to open the first negotiating chapter. I hope that Albania will work hard to achieve its goal of EU membership by 2030. I must also express my desperation that Macedonia is not with Albania today, because our European path was blocked because of non-fulfillment of the negotiating framework approved by the European Council, Ahmeti said.

Meanwhile, Government spokeswoman Marija Miteva responded to another DUI official, former Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, who raised the same issue with the public, as DUI is now campaigning on the fact that Bulgaria continues to block Macedonia’s path toward the EU. In his remarks, Osmani partially endorsed the VMRO position that the Bulgarian demands should be implemented over a time period, to prevent the country from raising new, additional historic demands. While VMRO says that Macedonia should ratify the current Bulgarian demand – that the Bulgarian minority is added to the Macedonian Constitution – only at the end of its EU negotiations, Osmani proposed that the changes to the Constitution are done immediately, but a law is passed that would suspend the constitutional provisions if Bulgaria continues to block Macedonia.

Osmani is the last person who has credibility to talk on this issue. We doubt the sincerity of his proposal. Our suspicion is regarding the intention of their proposals, Miteva said.

Ahmeti and other DUI officials recently met with the Bulgarian Ambassador in Macedonia and are openly endorsing the Bulgarian positions.