On Wednesday, during a visit to Skopje, Ireland’s Minister of European Affairs and Defense, Thomas Byrne, stated that implementing the French proposal was the only way for accession negotiations on full-fledged membership to be opened.
As he pointed out at a joint press-conference with North Macedonia’s European Affairs Minister, Orhan Murtezani, the EU can only facilitate the accession path, but not provide guarantees. Regarding the Macedonian language, the Irish politician said it was recognized by the EU.
On his part, Murtezani stated that bilateral disputes and political blockades shouldn’t be an obstacle on the integration road, adding that every country should be assessed according to merits and reforms.
Neighbors should set joint positions on good-neighborly relations, which is in line with the EU’s Copenhagen criteria, he also pointed out.