10 Former FMs Call for EU to Remedy their Accession Talks Mistake

Ten former FMs write in an open letter that opposing the start of the accession negotiations for Macedonia and Albania is a strategic mistake which undermines the authority and credibility of EU. Nikola Popovski and Nikos Kotzias, former Chiefs of Macedonian and Greek Diplomacy respectively find themselves among the signatories of the letter, who call for the Union to overcome their differences for the specific issue. The open letter was published by the Greek Newspaper Ta Nea. “Opposing the start of the accession talks is a strategic mistake which contributes to the cementing of the status quo of the Western Balkans and EU’s inactivity in one, all more unpleasant geopolitical space. The duty of the European Union is to contribute to the stability and safety of South-East Europe. That’s why the integration of the Western Balkans needs to be understood as an element of responsible politics and not as a burden. Except that, opposing the start of the accession talks of the above mentioned countries undermines the authority and credibility of EU,” stands in the former Chefs of Diplomacy’s letter. Other signatories are former Montenegro FM, Igor Luksic, former Minister for Foreign Affairs and former Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, former Deputy PM of Croatia and former FM, Vesna Pusic, former Albanian FM, Ditmir Busati, former Cyprus FM, Ioannis Kasoulides, former Bulgarian FM, Kristijan Vgenin, former Austrian FM, Karin Kneissl and former Serbia and Montenegro FM, Goran Svilanovic.