Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said that North Macedonia has a choice in its European integration process and must decide whether it "wants to be right" or become a member of the European Union, BTA reports.
According to him, the country has long had the status of a candidate for membership and often bilateral disputes with its neighbors have been a major obstacle on the path to the EU. He stressed that the enlargement process is not always fair, but remains politically real.
“The world we live in is not always fair. Macedonian citizens and decision-makers will know best how to approach it - whether they want to be right or become a member of the European Union,“ Milatović said in an interview with “360 degrees“ on MRT1.
He added that Montenegro has been assessed by the European Commission as the most advanced candidate and expressed hope that the country will join the EU by 2028 or 2029.
Milatović also noted that EU enlargement remains a “live process”, also pointing to challenges in relations between candidate countries and member states, including Croatia, which he said has blocked the closure of a negotiation chapter with Montenegro.
The President of Montenegro paid a two-day official visit to North Macedonia this week.