On the second day of his working visit to Berlin, this morning the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov met with the European External Action Service Secretary General Stefano Sannino and the State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office, Miguel Berger.

The meeting with Secretary General Sannino took place on the sidelines of the ECFR Council’s annual conference, which was attended by both interlocutors. The meeting focused on the enlargement policy as the most important tool of the EU external action and the Macedonian EU bid as crucial for the credibility of the Union.

Secretary General Sannino stressed that the most important step forward in enlargement policy is the start of accession negotiations with Macedonia and Albania.

These topics were also discussed at the meeting with State Secretary Miguel Berger, at which the strong German support for Macedonia’s European integration was reaffirmed.

The EU perspective is the glue that unites the progressive forces in the region. Restoring confidence in the enlargement policy is possible only through success in the Macedonia’s EU bid, Dimitrov said.

Berger stressed that Germany will continue to work intensively on this issue, which is listed as a priority in the coalition agreement of the new government.

On the sidelines of the annual ECFR conference, Dimitrov also met with the newly appointed, future chairman of the Munich Security Conference, German diplomat Christoph Heusgen, who will succeed Ambassador Ischinger.

Dimitrov and Heusgen discussed EU enlargement through the prism of ensuring stability and security. In this context, Heusgen stressed the importance of the Prespa Agreement as one of the pillars of regional security and cooperation in the Western Balkans and beyond.

The working visit to Berlin will conclude with the first meeting with the newly appointed  and a meeting at the Berlin office of the think tank European Initiative for Stability (ESI).