Mickoski: Von der Leyen suggested that Mucunski request a bilateral meeting in Sofia on Corridor 8

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, said at a joint press conference in Skopje with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that she had advised him to have the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timcho Mucunski, request an official meeting in Sofia during his visit next week. According to him, the meeting will be related to Corridor 8 and dialogue with Bulgaria, Telegrafi Macedonia reports.

Mickoski said that, following von der Leyen’s advice, he immediately asked the minister to send a diplomatic note and arrange a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart.

“I will try to answer your question concretely and move away from formal diplomatic phrasing. The president advised me that next week our minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade should travel to Sofia. The reason is Corridor 8 and the projects we are advancing along it, so he should request a bilateral meeting with the host side,” he said.

North Macedonia’s prime minister stressed that the aim is to get the process moving through direct communication between the two countries.

During the conference, Mickoski also said that he had openly discussed with the president of the European Commission the difficulties existing in relations with the eastern neighbor.

“We want these issues to be resolved through dialogue, mutual trust and respect. At today’s meeting, we also discussed the expectation that the European Union will become involved in this process. We are not asking the Union to take anyone’s side, but to help create the conditions for a sustainable European solution,” Mickoski said.

He added that the agreements must be clear, obligations must be implemented by everyone, and the membership process must not return to a new cycle of bilateral conditions. According to Mickoski, any solution must guarantee that fulfilling it closes one phase and paves the way for the next, leaving no room for interpretations or new demands./Telegrafi/