Albania seeks to pursue EU membership separately from N. Macedonia

PRISTINA (Reuters) – Albania will ask the European Union if it may possibly pursue its membership bid individually from its neighbour North Macedonia which continues to face a Bulgarian veto, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated on Thursday.
North Macedonia and Albania have been meant to launch membership talks with the bloc on the finish of 2020, however Bulgaria blocked the opening of formal talks because of a dispute over historical past and language with North Macedonia.
The EU has grouped each nations collectively of their accession bid. Talking in Tirana, Rama stated he was not optimistic that Bulgaria will raise its veto quickly.
“Albania can not wait anymore till two neighbours resolve their quarrel,” stated Rama, including Albania had good relations with each states.”Our political course on this situation will fully change.”Rama made these feedback whereas presenting a nationwide survey with greater than half 1,000,000 respondents, which confirmed 67 p.c needed the 2 nations’ membership path to diverge.Skopje skilled the same veto for many years by Greece. It will definitely modified its title in 2018 from Macedonia to North Macedonia to ensure its entry into NATO and proceed on its EU path.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated final week that talks on Albania’s and North Macedonia’s EU accession wanted to begin as quickly as attainable as a result of any delay would make the Western Balkans susceptible to exterior affect.
(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Enhancing by Alexandra Hudson)