ZAGREB, 23 Nov 2021 - Croatia is with you in these difficult moments, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in his condolences to North Macedonia PM Zoran Zaev and the families of that country's citizens killed when a bus caught fire in Bulgaria, killing 45 people, the Croatian government said on Tuesday.

The bus with North Macedonia license plates and 52 people on board caught fire on a motorway in western Bulgaria this morning.

An employee of the North Macedonia Embassy in Sofia told BTV that most of the fatalities were North Macedonia citizens.

"It was with great sorrow and genuine regret that I received news of the horrible tragedy in Bulgaria in which most of those killed were your citizens. In these difficult moments for the victims' families, as well as for all North Macedonia, Croatia is with you," Plenković said in his note of condolence to Zaev.

Izražavamo najdublju sućut @Zoran_Zaev i obiteljima stradalih nakon strašnog požara autobusa na autocesti u Bugarskoj gdje je poginuo velik broj ljudi. U ovim teškim trenucima za cijelu Sjevernu Makedoniju, Hrvatska je s vama! Naše su misli i molitve uz ?? i obitelji stradalih.

— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) November 23, 2021

Plenković extended condolences to Zaev, the victims' families, and all of North Macedonia on behalf of the government, the Croatian people, and his own.

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ZAGREB, 9 Sept 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday sent a letter of condolence to North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and to the families of the victims who lost their lives in a fire that broke out in a COVID hospital in the western city of Tetovo on Wednesday evening.

We are very saddened by the news about the violent fire in the COVID-19 hospital in Tetovo in which many people lost their lives, Plenković wrote on his Twitter account.

"We are in our thoughts with North Macedonia and the families of victims," Plenković added.

At least 14 people died and many more were injured in that hospital fire in North Macedonia, health officials said.

The fire erupted after an explosion at about 2100 hrs Wednesday. Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze for an hour before they managed to bring it under control.

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ZAGREB, 22 June, 2021 - North Macedonia and Albania have met all the criteria to open EU accession negotiations as soon as possible and Kosovo deserves visa liberalisation, Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Tuesday in Luxembourg.

"Albania and North Macedonia have met all the criteria and we believe that accession negotiations should be opened with them as soon as possible," said Grlić Radman upo arriving in Luxembourg for a General Affairs Council meeting.

The General Affairs Council is composed of foreign or European affairs ministers of the member states. They convened today to discuss preparations for an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday on migration, enlargement and the stabilisation and association process.  Furthermore, the Portuguese presidency will inform the EU ministers about the work of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

One of the more important topics to be debated within Article 7 is the rule of law in Hungary and Poland.

Accession intergovernmental conferences with Serbia and Montenegro will be held on the margins of today's meeting, but without opening or closing any policy chapters. So-called political intergovernmental conferences are a new approach in the accession process.

Agreement still has not been reached to open negotiations with North Macedonia due to objections by Bulgaria and no progress is expected before elections in Bulgaria scheduled for next month.

There are no blockades regarding Albania, however some countries do not wish to separate the issue of opening negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.

Grlić Radman that Croatia supports the motion for liberalising the visa regime for Kosovo as soon as possible.

Croatia would like talks on candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina to be launched as soon as possible too, said Grlić Radman and once again underscored the need for the election law in that country to be changed so that it ensures the equality of all three constitutent peoples.

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