The European Union must fulfill its promise and set a date for the first intergovernmental conference with Northern Macedonia as soon as possible, which would mark the start of EU membership negotiations, Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said on Sunday.

“As a country we have done a lot and the citizens have done a lot in terms of expectations for negotiations with the EU. “In this way we have given up some things, we have made difficult decisions and the EU must finally make the decision. I am talking about all the members and neighboring Bulgaria, to hold the first intergovernmental conference,” he said. Kovacevski.

According to him, “any process that lasts a long time and in the end has no results, leads to a decrease in citizens’ trust in the EU, despite the fact that they give strong support to the European integration process.”

He stressed that he is not personally tied to the dates, but nevertheless said that EU enlargement in the region is currently not only a political and economic issue, but also a geostrategic one, due to the war in Ukraine and the interest of third countries that not to expand with the countries of the Western Balkans.

Kavacevski also commented on the strategic dialogue with the United States that should start on June 2, emphasizing that it does not replace the membership of Northern Macedonia in the European Union.

“The strategic dialogue with the United States begins in June in several areas – foreign policy, economy, investment, education, defense. Next week a team of ministers and experts will be appointed, who will go to Washington where they will hold meetings at various levels. “Strategic partnership with the United States is not a substitute for EU membership,” Kovacevski said.

The strategic dialogue between the US and Northern Macedonia was announced by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried during a visit to Skopje on 28 April.