The meeting between Linkevičius and Besimi addressed Lithuania's presidency over the EU Council, Macedonia's progress in domestic reforms and further EU integration, as well as bilateral relations, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said.
"During its presidency over the EU Council, Lithuania will seek the necessary agreement of EU member-states on the important step on the path of Macedonian EU integration – the start of membership negotiations. However, I want to stress that Macedonia's progress will first of all depend on its efforts to carry out the necessary reforms," Linkevičius said.
The minister also applauded the key agreements reached among political parties in the Macedonian capital over the past few days that are crucial for the country's EU integration perspective.
Macedonia was granted the status of EU candidate-country back in 2005. In 2009, the European Commission recommended to open membership talks, but the proposal was opposed by the European Council.
