Pendarovski: The enlargement fatigue the EU has mentioned is also felt by North Macedonia

The enlargement fatigue the European Union has mentioned is also felt by North Macedonia, said North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski in Brussels.

Taking part in a conference organized by the Friends of Europe think tank, President Pendarovski said North Macedonia was a record-holder in waiting for accession talks with the EU.

“The enlargement fatigue is mutual,” Pendarovski said. “The EU has said that the eastern enlargement hasn’t given satisfactory results, but in our country, people are really tired of waiting.”

“If we’re ranked by merit,” Pendarovski continued, “we’ve done all we needed to, and we also did something no one else has done. We changed the name of our country.”

Pendarovski added that the new name was agreed on for the sake of joining the EU.

“I see no other sustainable alternative,” Pendarovski said.

On the subject of Kosovo and Serbia, he said the idea for a territorial swap “is one of the worst ideas.”

“That would immediately start a conflict, said Pendarovski, and added that border changes shouldn’t at all be considered within the region.