German president presses N Macedonia on EU-required reforms

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged North Macedonia to acknowledge the presence of an ethnic Bulgarian minority in the country, amid other actions required to speed up its European Union accession process. Steinmeier arrived in the the capital, Skopje, Tuesday on a two-day official visit, and will then proceed to neighboring Albania. Both Balkan countries started membership talks with the EU in July, in a process expected to last years. North Macedonia’s accession bid is being held up by a dispute with neighboring EU member Bulgaria, which can block EU expansion — a process that requires unanimous approval by member states. The dispute focuses on history and cultural heritage.