English
Macedonia remains committed to European Union membership, but constitutional amendments should not be accepted at any cost, without clear guarantees that no further conditions will follow, stated Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski. He assessed that, following the name change and other concessions that Macedonia has made over the years during the Euro-Atlantic integration process, citizens have the right to know whether current demands are the final ones on the path to Europe; he emphasized that the Government is ready to discuss solutions but not to accept new obligations that could spark future disputes.
Addressing the relationship between Euro-Atlantic and European integration, the Minister noted that at NATO meetings, he frequently asks why the country is an equal member of the Alliance yet still faces obstacles on its path to the EU. “If we are there—in that family, in that Union, in NATO—discussing military aid and spending, and allocating the same percentage of our budget, why are we not treated as equals in the other family, which is seemingly quite similar?” Misajlovski said in a Kanal 5 TV interview.
He recalled that Macedonia has made numerous concessions regarding European integration over the past years.
“Why must we always be the ones to change something?” “I often point out that the name has been changed, the anthem has been changed, the flag has been changed, and the banknotes have been changed. I say this—and we said it while in opposition—asking: ‘Is this the last thing?’ I view this differently because I had the opportunity to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; I was part of the good-neighborliness commission. I was involved back when we refused to accept a lack of reciprocity—to avoid the kind of problems we face now regarding shared history. Yet, whenever that stance wasn’t accepted, an SDSM government would come in and make promises; even now, you see statements directed at Bulgaria from Macedonian politicians—from the SDSM leader and others,” said Misajlovski.
In the interview, Misajlovski emphasized that the majority of citizens opposed the French proposal and assessed that VMRO-DPMNE gained electoral support due to its opposition to such solutions. According to him, there is a risk that accepting the current demands could lead to new issues arising in the future. “If we are fully aligned with the European Union, we cannot keep facing new conditions,” Misajlovski said.