President Stevo Pendarovski met Wednesday with European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.

The two interlocutors exchanged views and information on the current situation in Macedonia, as well as on the country’s bid to join the EU.

President Pendarovski stressed that European and Euro-Atlantic integration remains a strategic goal for our country. In anticipation of the finalization of NATO membership, President Pendarovski said at the meeting, that the country’s focus is on the prospect of opening accession negotiations with the EU, the President’s Office said.

The president stressed that the country remains committed to the European agenda, given the fact that EU membership has a national consensus among political actors and high support from citizens. He expressed hope that by March this year a new methodology for leading the accession negotiation process between EU member states would be defined.

In the context of the early parliamentary elections, President Pendarovski called for the responsibility of all political actors and stressed that they should be fair, free and held in a democratic atmosphere, given our country’s aspirations for a future EU member state.