President Stevo Pendarovski held a meeting on Friday with Augusto Santos Silva, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and stressed the importance of holding as soon as possible the first intergovernmental conference, set to mark the official start of Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations.

At the meeting, the possibilities for Macedonia’s progress in EU integration, ahead of the EU Council next month were discussed. Pendarovski and Silva exchanged information and opinions on bilateral issues related to good neighborly relations, in the context of overcoming problems with Bulgaria, the President’s office said.

The President thanked Minister Silva for the efforts of the Portuguese Presidency, which, in addition to a number of important topics, keeps in focus the debate on the EU enlargement.