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North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski will seek US support for his country\u2019s quest to become an EU member during a visit to Washington for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mickoski, who, according to Greek state broadcaster ERT, will be one of the few European leaders invited to the ceremony, made clear his country\u2019s anticipation for US support in its quest for EU membership, a goal, which he noted, has been obstructed by Greece in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He voiced dissatisfaction over his country\u2019s stalled EU membership prospects as a result of current bilateral disputes with Bulgaria, citing Greece as the instigator of a now-common strategy adopted by member states blocking EU entry for candidate countries. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCroatia says that Montenegro cannot move ahead because of certain issues\u2026 Bulgaria says the same for Serbia, and so on. All these things that started at the time when our southern neighbor [Greece] was constantly putting up obstacles, both in NATO and in the EU, because of a bilateral issue, the name issue, are now slowly but surely becoming common practice,\u201d Mickoski said.<\/p>\n
Mickoski, according to the North Macedonian state-controlled news agency, will travel to Washington two days ahead of Trump\u2019s inauguration ceremony for meetings with officials of the next US administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides Brussels, Washington is extremely important for us,\u201d Mickoski said. \u201cI am set to have highly productive meetings, based on the agreements reached so far, with senior administration officials in Washington. I aim to draw attention and encourage them to view the Balkans from a fresh perspective.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n