Today, President Stevo Pendarovski received Maria Virginia Mendes da Silva Pina, Ambassador of the Portuguese Republic to the Republic of Northern Macedonia.

It was concluded at the meeting that the relations between the two countries are friendly and the expectation was expressed for their further improvement, enrichment of the contractual legal framework, as well as for development of the bilateral political dialogue at the highest and highest level.

President Pendarovski welcomed the Portuguese presidency's efforts to keep the EU enlargement debate in focus and thanked Lisbon for its professional approach in drafting a proposal to resolve the bilateral dispute between Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria.

In this regard, the interlocutors exchanged views on the current situation ahead of the upcoming European Union Summits, emphasizing that the Republic of Northern Macedonia has met the requirements and deserves to immediately start negotiations for membership in the European Union.