German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged North Macedonia to quickly clear hurdles to European Union accession by passing a constitutional amendment during a visit to the country on Thursday.
Baerbock said that the amendment, which would enshrine the status of the country's small Bulgarian minority in the constitution, "must not become a political bone of contention in the competition for popularity ratings in polls or in the competition for which party could ultimately come out on top in the elections."
North Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani said after meeting with Baerbock on Thursday that the government plans to implement the amendment and that the country has no alternative other than closer relations with the EU.
The Republic of North Macedonia has been an EU accession candidate since 2005.
EU member Bulgaria has emphatically demanded the amendment as a prerequisite for opening the first chapters of negotiations with Brussels. There are about 3,000 people of Bulgarian ethnicity in the country of about 1.8 million.
The North Macedonian government, led by the Social Democratic Union (SDSM), faces difficult political pressure domestically ahead of elections scheduled for 2024.
The constitutional amendment is controversial and unpopular domestically. Passing the amendment requires a two-thirds majority and opposition support.
The largest opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, has rejected the proposal and is calling for early elections instead. Baerbock also met with VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski during her visit.
The German foreign minister during her visit on Thursday pledged EU support for North Macedonia in light of Russian and Chinese efforts to win influence in the western Balkans.
"Especially in these times when other actors are trying to instrumentalize and divide heated discussions in countries, I would like to say at this point: You have my word, we won't leave you out in the rain," Baerbock said.
She added that all levers must be set in motion so that the process can continue quickly.
Osmani called North Macedonia's potential participation in the EU market an "ambitious but achievable goal."
North Macedonia has taken on obligations related to the EU accession process that must be fulfilled, he said, according to the official translation.
The North Macedonian government has also proved to be a reliable Western partner in the Ukraine war. Skopje adopted EU sanctions against Russia and has supplied weapons to Ukraine, including four Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets, as reported by the defence industry publication Jane's.
Baerbock planned to travel onward to the South Caucasus republic of Georgia in the afternoon following her visit to Skopje.
Baerbock had previously announced plans to speak to the Georgian government on Friday about the steps still needed to be taken to gain EU accession status while underlining that "there can be no shortcuts" in the process.
