At this point it very significant to direct entire energy towards the EU integration, to show seriousness and be above daily obstacles, Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki said when asked about reflection of the current political developments ahead of forthcoming visit to the EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, the HLAD and EU integration in general.

The EU integration is the most important goal for Macedonia over which we all should be untied. For Macedonia it would be more useful to spend as much as energy on HLAD and de facto opening the EU negotiations because their shortage would not help Macedonia’s integration agenda neither the plan of Europe for the region, Poposki said prior to start of the meeting of Central European Initiative (CEI) national coordinators in Skopje which is the first after Macedonia assumed CEI’s Presidency.

CEI General Secretary Giovanni Caracciolo who together with Poposki co-chairs the meeting said that CEI does not comment different events in the countries, but added that everyone should move forward to achieving common values and principles which is important for the connectivity and cooperation towards the CEI’s objectives.

CEI’s objective is to help the countries that are not EU integrated to continue on their road, Caracciolo said underlying that connection and infrastructure are the priorities of this initiative.

Poposki presented three priorities of the Macedonian Chairmanship over CEI – dynamism of the EU agenda in the region, improvement of the infrastructure assisted by EBRD and other financial institutions especially for Corridor 8 and business component which emphasises the importance of private sectors and economic chambers for increase of trade and investments in the CEI member states.