European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has welcomed the course of reforms of the Macedonian Government, but has said that still has to do a lot of work to get the date for starting the EU membership talks.
After meeting in Skopje with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Juncker said that it is up to Macedonia and Greece to resolve the name dispute and that in this regard they will also have the support of European institutions. But in the presentation before the media, he has singled out the Skopje Airport where one day ago the authorities removed the inscription "Alexander the Great," the hero of the two countries, following the Government's decision to change the name of the airport as a sign of good will for solving the dispute with Greece.
"As for the name of the airport, I do not want to say anything because you have to choose this with your Greek friends. I talked with Greek Prime Minister Tsipras and I told him to stay on this path. When I arrived at the airport, I noticed changes, which means that you are on the right track.""We are not here to announce the date for launching EU membership talks, but to tell you that you are on the right track and if you continue on this path, you will enable the European Commission to recommend to the Council the start of the talks, but we have not yet come to it as there is still work to be done," Juncker said while welcoming the agreement with Bulgaria and the course so far of the reforms.
"I am really happy to note that your country, in particular in recent years has made some progress that will enable it to get closer to the European Union. You have made reforms that further deepen your values, with Bulgaria you have reached a good neighborly agreement that enhances your country's reputation. It is about the reconciliation of history and geography, to solve many years of problems," said the head of the European Commission.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that the meeting with the European Commission President also discussed the new Commission strategy and Macedonia's daily life for continuing reforms and resolving the dispute with Greece.
"With the strategy, the European Commission confirms Macedonia's European future. It is sensible to determine that the EU must be stronger before it gets bigger. Macedonia is ready to give its contribution to this segment. We also reaffirm our strong desire and dedication for deep, unobstructed reforms to achieve our goal towards the European Union ... "
"We expect the European Commission report to reflect the government's achievements. The positive report and the unconditional recommendation would be a great encouragement for us to continue the integration path," said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, stopping further in the work that his government is doing in the process of resolving disputes with the neighboring countries, in particular the name with Greece, which has blocked Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration process.
"The closing of some multi-year open issues is not easy as it is about sensitive issues for our citizens. After the agreement with Bulgaria, we continue with a serious commitment to resolve the dispute with Greece as well. Together with Prime Minister Tsipras, we are working with great dedication, we are working to close this difficult multi-year problem, whose solution will pave the way for the country's membership in NATO and the EU, which will mean prospects and future for our citizens," said Zoran Zaev.