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Peter Beyer, MP and Chief Rapporteur for Albania in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CDU / CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag, stated in Tirana that the time has come for Albania to secede from Northern Macedonia (MV) in connection with the opening of membership negotiations and the holding of the first Intergovernmental Conference of the member states of the European Union.
“It is unlikely that within the French Presidency of the European Council, which ends later this month, Bulgaria will give up its veto opposing Northern Macedonia for the opening of negotiations. If Bulgaria does not withdraw, the time has come for Albania to secede from northern Macedonia. Neither country should be held hostage by the other“, Said Beyer in the press conference held on Tuesday (07.06) at the end of his official visit to Tirana.
Bulgaria vetoed northern Macedonia in November 2020 over disputes over the language and identity of northern Macedonia. The Bulgarian authorities recognized the Macedonian language and identity only after 1945. According to them, before this period they had “Bulgarian roots”. “We have an embarrassing situation for the European Union in what is happening with Bulgaria. Albania should not suffer in this process. “The time has come to unblock this situation and for this I call on Bulgaria to withdraw this blockade,” Peter Beyer told a news conference.
Meeting between the Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov, May 2022
EU integration Herculean task – let’s do it together
Regarding DW’s question about Germany’s position on the idea of creating a “European Political Community” with countries that will be members of the EU, including the countries of the Western Balkans, at a time when some of them, including Albania have the status of a candidate country for EU membership, Peter Beyer said: “Germany supports the process of integration of the Western Balkans (WB) into the EU and the idea of associate members of the EU, as an opportunity to work more closely and bring these countries closer with BE. EU integration is a Herculean task, the road is long, let’s do it together. There is a new approach to the role of BP as an important region. “The war in Ukraine, the Russian influence in the Western Balkans and Russia’s efforts to increase it, have brought about a situation where the Western Balkans must be taken seriously by the EU,” he said.
From the position of Chief Rapporteur for Albania in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CDU / CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag, Peter Beyer said that “Albania must make progress in the fight against corruption and strengthening the rule of law.”
Germany supports the “Open Balkans” if the initiative is made with full transparency
The official visit of the German MP, Peter Beyer in Tirana coincided in time with the development of the “Open Balkans |” summit in Ohrid. “If the ‘Open Balkans’ initiative is done with full transparency, with a clear essence and equal positions, it can bring progress for all countries, as it is about regional cooperation. “This is something we always want to support, if it is developed in the right way in the continuation of the Berlin Process and not as a special initiative,” said Beyer.
Regarding Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s statement that Russia supports the ‘Open Balkans’ initiative, when the EU and NATO want a ‘Closed Balkans’, Peter Beyer said that Russia should not interfere in matters that do not belong to it. “We will not stand idly by in the face of Russia’s actions and its aggression against Ukraine.”
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