Athens' fears over territorial pretensions are senseless, FM Poposki tells "El Pais"
The fears over Macedonia's territorial pretensions to the homonymous Greek province, which is the reason for Athens' veto to the country's EU and NATO integration, are senseless, says Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki in the interview for the web-edition of Spanish daily "El Pais".
"Macedonia has explicitly said it has no pretensions towards any of our neighbors. Throughout the years we have accepted and respected our commitments, demonstrating a high degree of flexibility. We have made concessions with the flag change and constitutional reforms. However, there are things that go against the basic democratic principles. A country's name can only be determined by its citizens. The language, the culture, the identity are elements that cannot be imposed from the outside. Greece accepted one and only obligation - not to prevent our integration in international organizations. However, it does not abide by it", says Poposki.
He recalls that the International Court of Justice ruled against Athens over its breach of the 1995 Interim Accord, but the Greek stance has not changed since and the row is in a standstill.
"Unfortunately, the economic crisis spends the entire energy of Greek leaders. There is no room for the Macedonian case. We continue to be open for dialogue. Relations between the people are good and the same goes for trade. Macedonia represents an opportunity, not a threat for Greece", emphasizes Poposki.
With regards to April multiple murder near Smilkovci Lake, the FM says the case produced numerous consequences due to its brutality.
"Certain individuals want to create interethnic and inter-religious tensions through terrorist activities. If seen in perspective, there is no political force in the country that supports such strategy. We cannot exclude the possibility there will be individuals who promote the radical agenda in the future. However, there is no political ground for such support. Situation can vary in neighboring countries, but in essence, the agenda of radical impulses is disappearing in the region", underlines FM Poposki in the "El Pais" interview.
