Statement by President von der Leyen with Prime Minister of North Macedonia Mickoski

It is very good to be back in Skopje. Thank you very much for the very warm welcome. North Macedonia has shown time and again that it can take bold decisions about its future. The Prespa Agreement was a moment of real political courage with two countries choosing to turn the page and write the next chapter of their history together. It opened the door to NATO membership. Today, North Macedonia is a valued ally. Similarly in the European Union, we are building our security together. You were the first country in the region we signed a Security and Defence Partnership with. The European Peace Facility is at work to modernise your armed forces. And you are also part of the Coalition of the Willing. Because when a friend and fellow European nation came under attack, North Macedonia stood up. And your resolve to support Ukraine has been as strong as our Union's. We are very grateful for that.

This is the North Macedonia we know. A country that stands its ground. A country that belongs at the European table. So, my first message is this: clearly, you belong with us. With incredible hard work and dedication, the accession negotiations started in 2022. And the screening process was done in less than a year. And now there is one key step you need to take so that you can move forward and open the ‘fundamentals' cluster. I know the sensitivities around it. But I also want to be very clear about what Europe stands for. We welcome North Macedonia with its identity and its language. We believe that the Macedonian culture and language can only make our Union richer. Because our motto is ‘diversity in unity'. And we take it very seriously.