English
During the celebration of the anniversary of the Macedonian uprising in World War Two, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski called for unity across the political divide around a platform of priorities for the development of Macedonia. The Prime Minister and VMRO leader said that Macedonia must accomplish its strategic coals, chief among them its long delayed EU membership, but added that we require guarantees after the latest round of disappointed expectations.
During the declaration of independence, our dream was and still is that we become an integrated part of the EU family. I know that the road to that goal is filled with dishonest attacks, games and sacrifices, but we have no other option. We can either give up and lament our fate or fight till the end. We were not promised fair play. The fate of less numerous nations and smaller countries has often depended on the games played by the larger nations and countries. A major obstacle on this path is the dispute with our eastern neighbor. That obstacle must be removed. But let us not forget about a huge hypocrisy that can be seen in the fact that the same people who convinced us that we will have no better proposal and that our identity is being protected in the French Proposal, are now trying, through a political maneuver, to draw some red lines that should protect us from the proposal that they ignorantly, selfishly, themselves accepted without asking the then opposition and the citizens. The main fear and concern among the citizens is around the key question – will this be the last concession and will the acceptance of this proposal end the series of concessions that are continuously being made to the detriment of national and state interests. And this people, especially the Macedonian people, has the right to be concerned. Because since 25 years ago when we started this path towards full EU membership, concessions have always been made at the expense of the Macedonian people and Macedonia as a state, said the Prime Minister.
European Council President Antonio Costa recently acknowledged that, while Macedonia will have to meet the current Bulgarian demand to change its Constitution, it will need some guarantees that the process will not turn into an agony of additional nationalist demands. Speaking in Prilep, where the 1941 uprising started, Prime Minister Mickoski said that Macedonia needs such guarantees.
We must use this day to send a clear political message: YES to EU membership. We are aware that that path was not fair for us and will not be fair. But NO to bilateral conditions and YES to guarantees from the European Council, which are needed if the EU really wants to see this small country, that has shown many times in history that its place is together with them, in the community of European nations. To send a conclusion to the next European Council in which they will clearly state that none of them has a problem with the unique Macedonian identity, that none of those 27 members has a problem with the Macedonian language codified 80 years ago and that none of them has a problem with the centuries-old Macedonian culture, tradition, customs on which the Macedonian identity is based and founded. Let them say enough is enough, no more vetoes and obstacles due to bilateral issues, added Mickoski.
