ANKARA 

Turkey on Friday congratulated North Macedonia and Albania for opening accession talks with the European Union.

"We congratulate our friends and Allies North Macedonia and Albania on the start of their EU accession negotiations and the EU," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Also as a negotiating candidate country, Turkey, which has supported the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Balkan countries from the outset, believes that, this belated decision will make important contributions to the stability and prosperity of the region and to ongoing EU’s efforts to become a global power," the statement added.

"As the most important soft power instrument of the EU, a credible and fair enlargement policy, which is not politicized at the expense of narrow-minded national interests and encourages 7 candidate countries, is needed more than ever," it said.

On Tuesday, EU ministers reached a political agreement on opening accession talks with the Balkan nations of Albania and North Macedonia.