President Pendarovski in Interview with Politika

In an interview with Politika, President Stevo Pendarovski says the Macedonian identity and language are not subject to any negotiations, nor could they be. “Our identity and the Macedonian language are a result of a cultural and scientific fact,” he points out for the Serbian newspaper, adding that they were also a result of the years-long historical and cultural development. In the interview, Pendarovski thanks Serbia for the help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Commenting on the relations between Skopje and Belgrade and issue of opening culture centres in the two capitals, the President assesses that the two countries don’t have open issues, adding that they are focused on constant promotion of cooperation. Regarding the obstacles on the EU path of North Macedonia and countries from the region, the President’s stand is that his country made difficult compromises to join NATO and become a future EU member. With regards to the talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev in Skopje and Rome, he describes them as a positive signal for the relations between Skopje and Sofia.