07/01/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday, 7 January, Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva expressed his hope that the official opening of accession negotiations with Skopje and Tirana would be able to take place before the end of June. “Our aim is very clear: we are trying to call the first intergovernmental conferences with North Macedonia and Albania still during our presidency”, he explained to a group of journalists. The minister explained that his goal was to speak with the Bulgarian and Macedonian governments in order to listen to both sides’ arguments. “Because whenever you do so, you easily understand there is common ground on which you can work”, he explained. Mr Santos Silva recalled the reforms carried out by North Macedonia, which even changed its name. “They did their work. It’s time for us to do our work”, he added. (CG)