I hope that the European Council will give the green light to start accession negotiations with the Union, President Stevo Pendarovski said in a statement for the Greek newspaper “Ethnos”, stressing that such a decision would be worthy and a recognition of the efforts made by the country, MIA correspondent reported from Athens.

I sincerely hope and expect that there will be a positive decision by the European Council to allow North Macedonia to start pre-accession talks so that it can become an EU member in the next period. It will be a decision we consider worthy, but it is also a recognition of all the efforts the country has made in recent years, both in carrying out internal reforms and resolving the long-standing name issue with Greece, reaching a historic decision that paved the way for a common European future for both countries, President Pendarovski said.

The president stresses that the two neighboring countries, as EU members, will share European values and standards of democratization and transparency, which will contribute to the security and stability of the region, and talks about the Prespa Agreement and the positive results and new chapter in bilateral relations.

But most importantly, it opened the way for a strong bilateral relationship, strengthening the link both at the political, economic and defense levels, as well as between people and cultural collaborations. North Macedonia and Greece have long been neighbors and now have the opportunity to become partners within the EU. The negotiation process gives countries considerable opportunities to exchange knowledge, good practices and experiences. As EU members, the free movement of persons, goods and services will provide an open area that will bring prosperity to both North Macedonia and Greece as part of the same European region. As EU members, they will share European values and standards of democratization and transparency that will contribute to the security and stability of this region, President Pendarovski told “Ethnos”.