It will be good for the entire region if North Macedonia advances on the path to EU membership. Of course, this will require certain decisions on the part of North Macedonia.
This is what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told MIA in a comment on whether his address to the Macedonian parliament on November 21 was an attempt to encourage the deputies to accept the constitutional changes.
"It is not my job to dwell on these specific issues because they are also related to the EU membership process. But my message is that NATO membership has very often paved the way to EU membership. It will be good for the whole region North Macedonia to advance on the path to EU membership. Of course, this will require some decisions on the part of North Macedonia, but it is not within my competence to get into the specific proposals that are on the table," Stoltenberg said.
The NATO Secretary General also commented on the problem of corruption in the country and the region.
"Corruption is a disease and it is extremely dangerous. It undermines democratic institutions and trust in the state, and also makes it difficult to do business. It is extremely important to fight corruption at all levels, at all times, and I welcome the commitment of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski. We had a meeting and he reiterated his strong commitment to fighting corruption, this is extremely important. Any country that suffers from corruption becomes poorer, more vulnerable, because state institutions are weakened," Stoltenberg emphasized. / BGNES
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