According to North Macedonian Prime
Minister Hristijan Mickoski, bilateral disputes should not be an
obstacle to achieving collective goals. Speaking Saturday at the
annual meeting of the Standing Committee of the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly, held for the first time in North
Macedonia, Mickoski made tacit reference to the disputes Skopje
has had first with Greece and then with Bulgaria.
In the first, which ended a few years ago, Athens for nearly
30 years blocked Skopje's path to Euro-Atlantic integration by
demanding a name change of the former Yugoslav country, and
claiming the term 'Macedonia' as exclusive to the northern
Hellenic province. After the agreement with Greece, North
Macedonia could join NATO in 2020. But it is now Bulgaria that
is blocking Skopje's path to EU integration because of an
identity, historical and linguistic disagreement. Sofia is
demanding amendments to the Macedonian constitution to formalize
the inclusion in it of the Bulgarian minority present in North
Macedonia. A request that does not sit well with the current
nationalist government in Skopje. The country has already made
many concessions on its difficult path, although it has not
always gotten what it expected, Mickoski said. "I think we
should consider introducing mechanisms that will not allow
bilateral disputes to hinder the achievement of the collective
and common goal," the Macedonian PM said. Mickoski, and Defense
Minister Vlado Misajlovski, who was also present at the meeting,
thanked NATO allied countries for the medical assistance
provided after last month's tragic fire at the Kocani nightclub,
welcoming dozens of injured people to their hospitals.
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