English
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski spoke at the Munich Security Conference today, at a panel on geostrategy and energy security. During his remarks, Mickoski also focused on regional integration into the EU and the importance of energy corridors in the Balkans.
Speaking of NATO, please do not forget that my country to become a member of NATO changed its name. So when we are talking about giving up, about double standards we must not forget about that. So our commitment to NATO was without a doubt, We became a member of NATO with a lot of suffering and humiliations. I hear those voices here in Munich about interference into the domestic issues. But when we changed our flag, our currency and our constitutional name, what wa that? Isn’t it interference in domestic issues? And why such a loud voice was missing then? Even now we are faced with additional hurdle – to change our Constitution again if we want to start negotiations with the EU. What is it? Isn’t it interference in our domestic issues?, Prime Minister Mickoski said.
He warned that the process of allowing Balkan countries that have joined the EU to raise Balkan issues in the accession process is Balkanizing Europe, instead of leading to Europeanization of the Balkans.
You said that Russia is denying the Ukrainian identity, Ukrainian language, church. The invasion is terrible and I would say very very wrong in the 21st century. But at the same time when the Parliament of one of the youngest EU member countries is neglecting the Macedonian identity, denying my native language, the Macedonian language, which is an official language of the UN since 1945 then what are we talking about? Why is everybody silent then?, Mickoski added, speaking about the Bulgarian veto against Macedonia’s EU accession.
