Greece is trying to buy time in the name talks, emphasized Foreign Minister Nikola Popovski interview for Vienna “Die Presse”. He said that the Greek government is not currently able to focus energy in anything, except to address the economic crisis.
– It is a risky bet that Athens will soon focus on resolving the name dispute. Most likely they will try to buy time. They will ensure that there is no effective process to resolve the name issue, in accordance with the motto: Don’t ask us whether we would change our policy towards Macedonia, because we have other concerns, but we are also bound to the policy that was led by the previous government – said Macedonian Foreign Minister.
Regarding the monuments in Skopje that cause adverse reactions among the southern neighbor, Poposki said that previously we had no such monuments, but Greece still blocked us.
– No nation can ascribe historical figures in the Balkans for its own. It would be more than a paradox if one wants such exclusivity for people who lived 2,300 years ago. It would be nonsense – stated Minister Poposki.
Before the independence of Macedonia, he added, Athens didn’t deal with the issue of the name, but that the campaign for Macedonianisation in Greece and mass campaigns against Macedonia came later on.
– Strategy of the time remained the same – Macedonia to be prevented of becoming a part of the Euro-Atlantic structures in the hope that the country will not survive – stated Poposki.
FM says that comparison between Macedonia and Turkey, which Euro integration is blocked, cannot be made. According to Poposki, it is an illusion that Russia is an alternative. In Macedonia, he emphasized, there is no alternative to the EU and NATO, but he also warns of growing discontent among the population.
– 85 percent of Macedonians are for joining the EU and NATO. But from the standpoint of the average Macedonian citizen, this process has no credibility. Whatever we do, Athens can block us. Each day, there are a growing number of frustrated citizens who no longer believe that Europe is behind the values it represents: the rule of law, fairness, respect for the identity of every nation – stated Poposki.
