Secretary General Michele Valensise held meetings in Skopje yesterday with the Secretary of State of the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elena Kuzmanovska, and the Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs, Fatmir Besimi. Ambassador Valensise emphasised Italy’s full support towards Skopje’s integration on the Euro-Atlantic stage and affirmed that the European Union’s enlargement process will not be complete without the inclusion of all Western Balkan states.
Secretary of State Kuzmanovksa expressed her hopes for greater effort by European partners towards the enlargement process, underlining that the start of the accession negotiations will benefit both the Balkan nation and the EU.
The constant and positive evolution in bilateral relations and “active political dialogue and intense communication” over the last two decades was noted during the talks. The meetings focused on strengthening cooperation in the economic, defense, domestic, culture, healthcare, education, and regional affairs sectors. The topics also included the migrant crisis and its relative challenges in light of the conclusions reached at the recent EU-Turkey summit. The issue was also discussed during the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Besimi, during which the importance of reaching “a common and effective policy among all Member States” that would allow Skopje to continue to be “a constructive partner in the entire process” was stressed.
