US welcomes new step for Macedonia’s accession to the EU

Secretary of State for EU, Antony Blinkcelebrated this Saturday the approval in the Parliament of North Macedonia of a proposal that will allow the start of negotiations for its accession to the European Union (EU).

“The United States welcomes the decision of the Parliament of North Macedonia to take the next steps in the EU accession process,” Blinken said in a statement. The head of US diplomacy said that the agreement “recognizes and respects the cultural identity of North Macedonia and the Macedonian language”, given the historical and linguistic dispute with Bulgaria.

In addition, he stressed that this decision comes “at a critical moment” for the country, for the Balkans and for Europe and concluded that the EU will be “stronger and more prosperous” with the accession of North Macedonia and Albania, a country that also seek their incorporation. The Parliament of North Macedonia on Saturday endorsed the EU proposal to resolve the historical and linguistic dispute with Bulgaria, which will allow negotiations for its accession to begin next Tuesday.

Bulgaria, which has lifted its veto against accession, insists that North Macedonia must recognize that the Macedonian language has Bulgarian roots and that both peoples had a common history in the past, while Skopje has stressed that its identity and the Macedonian language do not are open to discussion.