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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says that nations in the western Balkans aspiring to join the European Union should be given a clear pathway to membership but urged them to solve their conflicts, including those lingering from the wars of the 1990s.

Maas was speaking Friday in Warsaw at a conference of foreign ministers from the six aspiring states and some EU members, held in preparation for a summit scheduled in Poland in July. Berlin is also to host a meeting of western Balkan and EU high representatives April 29.

Maas pointed to the example of North Macedonia, which recently changed its name to settle a conflict with Greece.

Internal conflicts in the Balkans and a split between those supporting ties with the EU and those opting for Russian links have stalled the EU enlargement process.