SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
On Sunday, at the panel discussion headlined “Ready, Steady, 2030? Accelerating the Balkans’ EU Accession”, in the frames of the Munich Security Conference, PM Hristijan Mickoski again said his country was a victim of bilateralization.
He also stated, “The name change was not the only example of interference in a sovereign country’s internal matters. Let me remind you that the flag change, too, was here. Without a doubt, us becoming part of the EU was and remains our marker. I am hearing some comments here that there was a speech on Day 1 by US Vice-President JD Vance and that that speech represented great interference in the internal affairs. But what are the name change, flag change, currency change? Aren’t they interference in internal matters?”.
Bilateral disputes, the PM noted, should have nothing to do with European values. According to him, everyone is vocal over Russia’s attack and denial of Ukrainian identity, but everyone is silent when an EU member’s parliament attacks and denies the Macedonian identity and language.
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and Edi Rama were part of the panel discussion too. The former said that she understood the frustration regarding bilateral issues. During her term, she added, two countries will complete the negotiations process.
The Albanian PM stated that the EU should think about what was going on, especially regarding the speed of processes in the Western Balkans.
“One should think about how to bring countries not part of the EU closer to the single market. The EU must do something about that”, he underlined.
