Both Macedonia and Albania have met the conditions to start the accession negotiations. Both countries have been putting in the work to implement the necessary reforms, and both countries deserve to hold intergovernmental conferences with the EU as soon as possible, the United States Embassy to Skopje has told MIA.

This statement was made when asked by MIA how the United States reacts to the Bulgarian government’s act by opening a cultural center in Bitola called “Vanco Mihajlov”, a controversial figure in the country primarily because it cooperated with Nazi Germany during World War II.

In this regard, the United States called for a speedy settlement of the bilateral dispute between the two countries.

We continue to call on Bulgaria and Macedonia to resolve this bilateral dispute, the embassy said.

Asked what official Washington is doing to persuade Sofia to lift the blockade on the country’s EU integration, the Embassy said that Macedonia and Albania meet the conditions for the start of negotiations. The State Department also indicated yesterday that the United States strongly supports Macedonia’s entry into the EU.