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Ned Price PHOTO: Reuters
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The United States is negotiating with Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia on a bilateral basis to quickly resolve bilateral disputes, as it is time for Northern Macedonia and Albania to begin pre-accession talks with the EU, the US State Department said.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkon and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a telephone conversation last week that the process was accelerating.
In response to a request from MIA to reveal details and deadlines in this regard, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said last night that he continues to encourage Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia to quickly resolve bilateral disputes.
However, I will not disclose details of these talks, Price said.
He noted that the United States has long been a supporter of the integration of Northern Macedonia and Albania into the EU.
We believe that the future of the Western Balkans lies in the EU. The enlargement process promotes lasting peace, stability and prosperity throughout the region, he said.
The spokesman added that the EU’s decision in March 2020 to start accession talks with Northern Macedonia and Albania was considered a positive step.
The two countries have fulfilled their main tasks and we believe it is time to move forward together in the next phase of the long and challenging accession process, Price said. He noted that “the historic Prespa Agreement has shown that the countries of the Western Balkans are capable of fulfilling difficult tasks, reaching compromises and difficult solutions, and we are convinced that Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia will do the same by negotiating their bilateral disputes.”
The Prespa Agreement, signed in 2018 by Athens and Skopje, ended a long-running dispute between the two countries over the name of Northern Macedonia.
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