Merkel went against Macron
German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded that the European Union resume membership negotiations with Albania and Macedonia.
This was reported by the British tabloid Dayly Express, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Anyone who looks at the map, who understands the geopolitical context, knows that if the countries of the Western Balkans one day become members of the European Union, it will be good for everyone,” Merkel said after a meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Eddie Rama.
She said she wants to reach a deal that will allow accession talks to begin at the next European Council summit on March 29. Even if the decision is positive, accession negotiations will take a long time.
This announcement is likely to cause friction between Berlin and Paris.
Last October, at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, the accession process for Albania and Macedonia was stopped. Nine EU countries then opposed the proposals of the French president.
US-oriented countries sharply criticized Macron's decision, saying that France was thus is pushing the Western Balkans into the arms of Russia.
“Macedonia, which aspires to become a member of the EU, accepted the EU conditions and went through great difficulty in changing its name to North Macedonia in order to gain the right to join the EU...
France, represented by Macron, broke Brussels’ promises to North Macedonia. He said at the EU summit that the European Union is not ready for enlargement, and cannot accept Albania and North Macedonia into the EU.
We now have a serious political crisis in North Macedonia. Pro-Russian forces are raising their heads and it is obvious that this is not just a big historical mistake of the EU, but also a betrayal of the Balkans,” Ukrainian MP Irina Gerashchenko was indignant.
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