Austria, Slovenia, Czech Republic want North Macedonia in EU
ABC News
The foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have voiced unanimous support for North Macedonia and Albania to start membership talks with European Union
SKOPJE, North Macedonia -- The foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia voiced unanimous support Saturday for North Macedonia and Albania to start membership talks with European Union, arguing that bilateral issues should not block the EU's enlargement into the Western Balkans. Austria’s Alexander Schallenberg, the Czech Republic's Jakub Kulhanek and Slovenia’s Anze Logar arrived in North Macedonia's capital, Skopje, to offer their backing for EU accession talks scheduled for June. The three plan to visit Albania, which also wants to join the EU, on Sunday. Bulgaria refused last year to approve the EU’s membership negotiation framework for North Macedonia, effectively blocking the official start of membership talks with its smaller Balkan neighbor. Bulgaria wants North Macedonia to formally recognize that its language has Bulgarian roots and to stamp out allegedly anti-Bulgarian rhetoric. The government in Skopje says the Macedonian identity and language are not open to discussion.
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