Macedonian Vice-Premier for European Affairs Teuta Arifi held talks and signed a Protocol of Cooperation Friday in Ankara with Turkish Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagish.

Arifi and Bagish shared opinions on the EU integration processes of both countries, saying that the accession of Balkan countries is vital for them and the Union, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release.

Underlying the significance of bolstering the bilateral collaboration in this process, Arifi and Bagish signed a Protocol of Cooperation by exchange of expertise and experiences.

"This Protocol presents yet another instrument for boosting our excellent relations for the benefit of our countries and citizens," Arifi said.

Macedonia and Turkey, as candidate countries, share the same goal for EU membership and this Protocol will enable us to intensify the cooperation in order to turn the common objective into reality, she added.

Today, Arifi also met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the excellent bilateral relations and hailed the signing of the Cooperation Protocol.