Brussels, 18/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 18 June, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called on the politicians of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) not to spare any effort in finding a lasting political compromise to the political crisis that has been affecting the country for months.
“No effort should be spared to find a lasting political compromise, building on the agreement facilitated on 2 June 2015 in Skopje”, Mogherini's staff stated in a press release at the end of her meeting with FYROM's Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Besimi. The previous day, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn repeated his call to all the parties to find such a compromise. On 2 June, the main political parties agreed to hold early general elections in April 2016 (see EUROPE 11327), but they did not manage to finalise the agreement during a meeting in Brussels on 10 June (see EUROPE 11333).
Mogherini expressed “a clear expectation of the European Union that the interest of the country and its citizens is put above party interests in these difficult times”, according to the European External Action Service (EEAS). Mogherini also underlined the need for FYROM to continue with the implementation of reforms which are crucial for the European perspective of the country. Hahn said that the EU would monitor the country's reforms closely “in coming months”. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)