The Washington Prayer Breakfast, annual gathering of over 3,500 political, religious and business leaders from the entire globe was held in Washington on Thursday. The event was attended by United States President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and State Secretary John Kerry.
Macedonia was represented by former First Lady Vilma Trajkovska, former PM Vlado Buckovski and MPs. The delegation held series of meetings with U.S. congressmen and senators.
“I believe your accession to NATO is very important for the region’s stability. Macedonia is a pearl on the Balkans, which I have visited on several occasions. From the U.S. point of view, I know that many Americans strongly support Macedonia and we want to help the country in any way on its road to NATO. We want to work with you and enhance bilateral relations”, said Congressman Robert Aderholt.
Parliament Vice Speaker Suzana Saliu also met with Congresswoman Candice Miller.
“I told Congressman Miller that the standstill in the NATO and EU accession process can have a negative effect on the interethnic processes, especially among the Macedonian and Albanian youth. We asked for her continued support on Macedonia’s NATO accession, but also promotion of the country’s EU membership”, said Saliu.
Former Prime Minister Buckoski said the hopes of Macedonia’s NATO accession at this year’s Alliance summit in the UK are slim.
“Information coming from interlocutors say it is uncertain that Montenegro will get a membership invitation, while Macedonia has been put on hold since the 2008 Bucharest summit. They are waiting for a miracle to happen. We are united in our efforts here to keep Macedonia on the agenda”, added Buckovski.
The National Prayer Breakfast, held since 1953, is designed to be a forum for the political, social, and business elite to assemble and build relationships.