North Macedonia and its quest for Euro-Atlantic Integration
b'In a time when Europe is divided and geopolitical tensions are high, North Macedonia has delivered on its promises. By reaching the Prespa Agreement with Greece and normalising relations with Bulgaria, it has bolstered its efforts to join the EU and NATO.\\n\\nThat was the main conclusion that participants reached during Friends of Europe\\u2019s \\u2018Conversation With\\u2019 the President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski.\\n\\nPresident Pendarovski stressed the importance of his country\\u2019s new agreements with its neighbours and the citizens\\u2019 support for the Prespa Agreement in a recent referendum. He also reminded the audience that his country is making great strides to better reflect its multi-ethnic identity \\u2013 elevating the Albanian language to co-official language status and receiving a large backing from multi-ethnic political parties.\\n\\nHowever, President Pendarovski also warned that this is far from over. He wants to see EU accession negotiations start before the end of the year. Despite some EU member states expressing doubts about accession talks, he remains optimistic and reminded everyone that no EU member state has really positioned itself against North Macedonia\\u2019s accession. When asked if he had a plan B to the EU, he said \\u201cmy plan B is EU accession\\u201d, thus reiterating his commitment to making North Macedonia the next EU member state.\\n\\nHe also hopes that North Macedonia will become the Alliance\\u2019s 30th member before the next NATO summit in London. When asked if NATO was perhaps suffering from enlargement fatigue, he recalled that \\u201cfatigue goes both ways\\u201d, as Skopje is also tired of waiting. Failing to deliver on promises could leave many of those who voted in favour of the Prespa Agreement disillusioned.\\n\\nWhen asked if any agreements with neighbouring countries could be threatened by EU inaction, President Pendarovski told the audience that reconciliation initiatives are already in motion with Bulgaria and that he is confident the upcoming Greek parliamentary elections won\\u2019t change current relations or the Prespa Agreement.\\n\\nFind out more at the event page:\\nhttps://www.friendsofeurope.org/events/north-macedonia-and-its-quest-for-euro-atlantic-integration/'