President Stevo Pendarovski asked the presidents of Slovenia and Croatia, Borut Pahor and Zoran Milanovic, for help in ensuring that Macedonia finally opens its EU accession talks. Macedonia is blocked by Bulgaria, which demands serious concessions on issues of national identity and national history, before it will allow the accession talks to go ahead.

President Pendarovski pointed out that Macedonia is ready for the first inter-governmental conference to open the accession process. Macedonia remains dedicated meeting its foreign policy goal of full EU membership which will help speed up reforms in the country, Pendarovski said via a press conference issued after his meetings with Pahor and Milanovic at the Brdo-Brijuni conference in Slovenia