During his working visit to the Republic of Poland, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, met with his host, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau. The visit comes ahead of the June summit, in the context of the intensified engagement for the official start of accession negotiations with the EU, as a strategic goal of the country and an imperative for the entire region.

The talks, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed, focused on the current topics related to Macedonia’s European integration processes, and Osmani stressed the gratitude of our citizens for the support and assistance that Poland gives us in the process of EU enlargement. It was emphasized that we remain committed to the consistent implementation of the reform agenda, as well as to the activities for promotion of good neighborly relations, with a special focus on Bulgaria, through the implementation of the action plan for intensifying sectoral cooperation and eliminating existing differences.

We continue to work at an even stronger pace on the reform agenda, placing special emphasis on the implementation of the action plan for multi-sectoral cooperation and overcoming the existing differences with our friends from Bulgaria. In this context, I express my gratitude for the traditional multi-decade approach and support from the Republic of Poland, as well as to the entire V4 group, which continuously provided unconditional support to our European integration path. I must emphasize that European integration has a positive impact on the process of transformation of our society, and moreover it is a permanent investment in peace and stability in the Western Balkans, and thus in the whole of Europe and in the interest of all member states individually, pointed out Osmani.

Minister Rau reaffirmed his country’s strong support for the start of Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations without delay and said that there is an unequivocal consensus on this issue at the level of the Visegrad Group, which Poland chairs until June 30.