In her speech to the members of the UN General Assembly today, President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova emphasized that Macedonia expects understanding and a fair unblocking of the EU membership negotiations from its European and strategic partners, the rejection of double standards, and respect for the principles and values enshrined in basic constitutional documents.

As reported by MIA from New York, Siljanovska Davkova argued that EU enlargement must adhere to the meritocratic Copenhagen criteria and be free from vetoes linked to historical revisionism and disrespect for national and cultural identity.

“European reunification is like an unfinished symphony without us. The European Union is not just a political system but a political philosophy that many Macedonian and Balkan political actors and citizens believe in. Integration is a powerful motive and key driver for democratic development,” said the Head of State.

According to her, the full integration of the Balkans into the EU will end the recurring redrawing of borders and the phenomenon of balkanization. Speaking before the General Assembly, Siljanovska Davkova compared EU membership to “waiting for Mr. Godot,” stating that, after 20 years of negotiations and 16 positive European Commission reports, Macedonia has been waiting since 2005, repeatedly told to meet “just one more condition” or make “just one more concession.”

She reminded the audience that Macedonia, as one of the six constituent Yugoslav republics, helped form the UN. Upon its admission to the UN in 1993, it faced great injustice under the provisional reference and the requirement to negotiate a final resolution to the name dispute. As a professor of constitutional law and a former member of the Venice Commission, Siljanovska Davkova noted, “What is legal is not always just and legitimate.” She argued that international and national laws, including the right to self-determination guaranteed by the UN Charter and the 1974 SFRY constitution, were disregarded in Macedonia’s case.

The President warned that the continued veto, in circumstances of conflict in Europe, will demotivate the Macedonian citizens and slow down our reofrms. “It also destabilizes the region of South East Europe, leaving it open to insurgence of malign imperial and nationalist influences”, President Siljanovska – Davkova said. She pointed out Macedonia’s peaceful posture in international relations and said that she expects our neighbors to show understanding, in the interest of the region.

President Siljanovska – Davkova insisted that Macedonia respects the treaties it has signed with its neighbors, and that she now expects them to do the same, without threatening Macedonia with a veto. “The United Nations exist to tame the cruel Thucydian world by ensuring legal equality between the nations, that will tame the power of the larger states and protects the smaller nations. This legal equality is a pre-condition to achieve the top goals of the United Nations – peace and security, human rights and sustainable development”.

The president acknowledged that the new name is a formal legal reality, and Macedonia, as a responsible member of the United Nations and NATO, fulfills its international obligations. However, she lamented that despite these efforts, EU membership has not materialized, and Macedonian citizens are now facing a new “final condition” for another constitutional amendment—this time, not for membership but merely to begin negotiations, for the second time. “As a peace-loving country dedicated to good neighborliness and regional cooperation, we expect understanding and cooperation with our neighbors, without the threat of a veto,” Siljanovska Davkova concluded.

On the war in Ukraine, President Siljanovska – Davkova condemned the territorial claims and the attempts to gain territory by brutally violating the UN Charter. She called for a sustainable, just and lasting peace in Ukraine and said that Macedonia is fully aligning its foreign policy with that of the European Union.