Macedonia's Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki held talks Wednesday in Valletta with his Maltese counterpart George Vella at a first meeting at this level since the recent establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The talks reviewed the possibilities for advancing the bilateral relations and the engagement of Malta - as a holder of the EU Presidency - in speeding up the launch of Macedonia's EU accession talks.

A clear European perspective will contribute much more to resolving the political crisis (in Macedonia) than many other external attempts for assistance, Poposki told Vella.