The European Union should kick off accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania to finally fulfil its pledge to integrate the Western Balkans, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday on the second day of a tour to the region.
Speaking in Skopje, Scholz said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine made it important for Europe to stand together and he praised North Macedonia's support of sanctions on the Kremlin.
Supporters of the EU accession of Albania and the countries that emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia and the ethnic wars of the 1990s say it will ease regional tensions, counter growing Russian and Chinese influence and raise living standards. Kovacevski underscored the "many difficult reforms" North Macedonia had undertaken in order to join the 27-member bloc, including changing its name to comply with Greek objections.Scholz, who has fashioned himself as a mediator during his Western Balkans trip, is set to travel onwards to Sofia on Saturday where he will hold talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ben Hogan Perseverance Award: How 4 North Texas student athletes defied the oddsEach year, four Texas high school athletes who have overcome a serious injury or illness are given the Ben Hogan Perseverance Award.
Read more »
North Carolina bakery makes 'please say gay' cakes in response to Parents' Bill of Rights law'All this hate mongering really has me angry. It's hard to talk about. I'm really in disbelief and I really wanted to something that spoke back to them,' pastry chef Matt Bumpas said.
Read more »
North Texas couple adopts 7 siblingsA Denton County family grew a lot Wednesday morning when a couple adopted seven siblings. It's a sad story with a really nice ending.
Read more »
A North Philly pastor accused of sexually abusing three people faced his victims in courtMark Hatcher, the pastor of Holy Ghost Headquarters, has been charged with rape and statutory sexual assault after three people accused him of abusing them when they were children.
Read more »