European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that Albania and North Macedonia opened accession talks with the European Union.

“This historic moment is your success. The result of your hard work. The European Commission has supported you all the way. We will continue to do so,” Von der Leyen said in a Twitter post. She added that the screening of the EU acquis will start and proceed very quickly. “The People of Albania and North Macedonia deserve it,” she said.

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She said that the Prime Ministers of the two Western Balkan countries, Edi Rama and Dimitar Kovacevski showed patience, vision and leadership and proved their attachment to European values as friends and reliable partners. “We will all stand to gain when one day we welcome Albania and North Macedonia in the EU,” she said in a separate Twitter post.