Aurescu: Decoupling of Skopje and Tirana Not Discussed Within EU

There are no discussions in the EU about eventual decoupling of North Macedonia and Albania in the EU integration process, Foreign Affairs Minister of Romania Bogdan Aurescu said at a press conference, after his meeting with FM Bujar Osmani. “Romania does not support a decision for decoupling, and the topic is not discussed withing the institutions of the EU. It is important for North Macedonia and Bulgaria to resolve their bilateral disputes as soon as possible so that we can start the accession talks, which in the present time are more than necessary,” Aurescu said. FM Osmani added that even though this issue is not discussed at the moment, it will become popular after June 2022 if the EU does not start accession talks with Tirana and Skopje. “When it comes to a possible resolution of our issues with Bulgaria, I must say that there is not a single non-paper about possible proposal, there are several, but are still unofficial. This is why I think the current conditions are not right for a governmental representative to speak of the negotiations with Sofia before the Parliament,” Osmani said.