In an interview with TV Kanal 5, Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said that the failure to open accession negotiations with the EU will not be a defeat for Macedonia, but a defeat for the EU.

It’s a defeat for the EU. I think so because the non-opening of negotiations will mean a decrease in the relevance of the EU, it will mean an increase in Euroscepticism, it will mean a decrease in the commitment of the citizens themselves to the process. Let’s not forget that we have made many sacrifices, many difficult decisions to achieve that goal, said Prime Minister Kovacevski.

Kovacevski added that there is no deviation from the goal of EU membership as a strategic commitment because it is a commitment of the dominant part of the population in the country and stressed that he remains a rational optimist and committed to that goal of the state and citizens to achieve.

Prime Minister Kovacevski added that from the aspect of the geopolitical moment that is happening in Europe, especially with the war in Ukraine, EU enlargement with the Western Balkans is not only a political and economic, but also a security issue, especially due to the fact that frozen conflicts and open issues, always interested third parties who have no interest in this region to be integrated into the EU.