PM Zaev says Regional Cooperation is not Substitute for EU Membership

In his address at the Summit of Western Balkan countries in the frames of the Berlin Process on Monday, PM Zoran Zaev said regional cooperation was a fundamental factor for connectivity and economic progress, but it was not a substitute for EU membership of the Western Balkan countries. German Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the whole region, political leaders, as well as all international institutions, the European Commission, and EU members, which have assisted in the process for the past seven years, North Macedonia’s Government said in the press-release. “We couldn’t have predicted that Bulgaria would block the start of negotiations of North Macedonia with the EU,” Merkel said after the meeting with Western Balkan leaders.