“On behalf of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council, I congratulate Albania and North Macedonia on this milestone. We will be stronger from your open and clear choice which has been tested a few times already,” said the Czech Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Fiala also appreciated the stand taken by both countries against Russian aggression in Ukraine.

“Facing the Russian aggression, we highly appreciated that you fully stand with the EU’s foreign and security policy. In Europe of today, we must be united more than ever,” he said.

At the same time, Fiala assured Albania and North Macedonia of further support on the path to EU integration.

“The Czech Republic has supported the membership of the Western Balkans and will continue to do so. We are honored that such progress takes place during our Presidency. However, we must also thank the French Presidency for their hard work and dedication that led us to this historic moment”, he said.

According to him, the Czech Republic and whole Central Europe know very well the importance of European Union integration for our democracy, security and economic development.
“The future of the Western Balkans lies in the EU and for that, I wish you the swiftest possible membership to the EU!”, Prime Minister Fiala said.