Pendarovski: Shouldn't lobby for Kosovo recognition, thank Serbia

We are grateful to Serbia for timely aid in preventing the consequences of the pandemic, especially in the process of vaculation, so has Northern Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski told the Serbian newspaper “Politika” and stressed that Northern Macedonia should not lobby for Kosovo's independence, which, according to him, is imposed by some Albanian politicians by the executive.

As he stressed, “Serbia has done everything in its power to help us and we know to appreciate that friendly gesture and we will not forget it. ”

“We recognise Kosovo as an independent state in 2008, when most of our strategic partners did this, and since then we have been committed to building good relations with Kosovo, because in that way we are fulfilling our national interests”, Pendarovski said.

He praised that North Macedonia also contributes to strengthening regional co-operation, which is Serbia's top foreign policy priority.

The Macedonian president recalled that Northern Macedonia made difficult compromises in order to become a full NATO member and a future member of the European Union.

“EU membership is crucial for the overall development of all countries in the region and we have no real alternative for European integration”, Pendarovski concluded.