From Skopje, where he is participating in the Economic Forum of Northern Macedonia, the Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that Albania and Northern Macedonia did not fail, but the EU itself failed on opening the negotiations.

A day after the decision of the European Union member states not to set the date for the First Intergovernmental Conference for Albania and Northern Macedonia, due to the veto imposed by Bulgaria, Rama spoke in a conference, comparing the situation to a wedding, in which the bride decides not to show up in the last moment.

"It is not the first time they have failed to give the opportunity for the First Conference. It’s more or less like a wedding, where everything is done right, and in the end the bride doesn’t show up. We will continue to move forward, to do our job. We were ready even before. The fact that some countries previously stated that Albania is not ready, this does not mean that Albania was not really ready, but this is related to domestic issues. So, we were not ready when the Netherlands had the election issue. We are not doing this, because some statesmen in Brussels tell us we need to move forward. I am not at all pessimistic, although they may fail several times.

We are an important economic partner with Northern Macedonia. We have not failed, they have failed. It is their home, we want to enter this house, so we do not decide. We are in Europe, we are surrounded by European borders. It would be better to tell us that 'we love you within the family, but there are some rules, which are not ready yet'.

A slightly strange situation is created, because citizens in Albania believe these European officials and they think that our domestic politics is a problem", said Prime Minister Rama.