News

On the margins of the Meeting of the Ministers of the Global Coalition on the Defeat of ISIS on 22 March in Washington, D.C., the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Foreign Minister of Macedonia Nikola Poposki. In the meeting, the Foreign Ministers discussed bilateral cooperation, issues related to Macedonia’s integration into the European Union, the internal situation in Macedonia and the impact of global challenges.

The Foreign Minister Linkevičius stressed that Lithuania consistently supported Macedonia’s aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration and was ready to share its experiences with the country. Linkevičius voiced his concerns over Macedonia’s protracted political crisis. According to the Foreign Minister, bearing in mind the outcome of the pre-term parliamentary election, it is now essential that a new government be formed. The new government would help the country get back to work on important reforms.

In 2015, Macedonia’s political leaders reached the Pržino Agreement. The main purpose of the document is to propose measures to implement urgent reforms and to conduct free and fair elections. In light of this, the European Commission is prepared to extend its recommendation to open accession negotiations with Macedonia.