Skopje and Athens have managed to find common ground, and have reached a compromise concerning the name dispute. As a country, you did your share, a referendum was held, you have changed the name and the Constitution, various reforms were implemented and now the European politicians who promised you that after doing so, will start negotiations with the European Union, they have to keep their word.
This was stated today by the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš at a joint press conference at the Macedonian government with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
“European politicians have promised you that if you meet the conditions that you shall be granted a starting date for EU accession negotiations. If the European politicians do not keep their word that will be a demotivator for your citizens and there will be repercussions in the whole region” stressed Babiš.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that the country isn’t asking for membership immediately but a date to start negotiations.
“That will also encourage other leaders in the region to close any open issues, it will allow us to focus on the economy, investment perspectives, providing young people opportunities to succeed and all of that will mean the start of a wider stabilization that Europe and the whole world has been waiting for decades”, said Zaev.
The Prime Minister expressed hope that the Czech Republic will soon ratify the NATO accession protocol and that at the summit in December, the country will be greeted as its 30th member.
Zaev announced that the Czech company “Chech Loko Trans” will soon accomplish the announced investment in the regional Centar for logistics and distribution with the headquarters based in Skopje, which will serve a purpose in the Western Balkans. Its operations are in the area of railway infrastructure and the value of the investment is 20 million euros.
