Με ένα ακόμα προκλητικό άρθρο ο Υπουργός εξωτερικών των Σκοπίων Αντόνιο Μιλόσοσκι στην Καναδική καθημειρνή εφημερίδα Global and Mail το οποίο δημοσιεύτηκε στις 29 Απριλίου επανέρχεται ακόμα προκλητικότερος – εν μέσω χαλαρών διαπραγματεύσεων, έντασης και προεκλογικού κλίματος- με τις γνωστές θέσεις τους εναντίον της Ελλάδος. Διαβάστε το, παρακάτω παρατίθεται αυτούσιο. Προσέξτε τις αναφορές και την κοινή επιχειρηματολογία που τελευταία χρησιμοποιείται εναντίον της Ελλάδας…
by Antonio Milososki, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, published in Canada's The Globe and Mail newspaper, on April 30, 2008.
"Why Was NATO's Door Slammed in Our Face?"
Greece used its veto against a country that dares speak its name.
By sending invitation to Albania and Croatia to join NATO at its Bucharest Summit, NATO has made another victory in the name of democracy. At the same time, failing to extend invitation to the third member of the Adriatic Group, i.e., the Republic of Macedonia, means a serious blow to the same principles upon which NATO has been built upon and existed for sixty years, as community of democracies that share and protect same values.
In the name of what democratic principles and in the name of what values, was the door closed to my country in Bucharest?
The Republic of Macedonia has fulfilled all political reforms required for the NATO membership. Even more: the country has conducted a thorough internal transformation, in conformity with the requirements of the new times, thus managing to build a functional democracy in a multiethnic society — example that multiculturalism is possible and feasible in the Balkans as well! The Macedonian Euro-Atlantic orientation has been consensually supported by all political factors in the country and by vast majority of the population. The defense reforms have been colossal; everyone in the Alliance has recognized this. The Republic of Macedonia has been a factor of stability in the Balkans, as well as the main logistics centre to the NATO command in Kosovo. The Republic of Macedonia has taken part in peacekeeping missions by contributing own troops, under her flag and that of NATO, far away from her borders: she has been present in the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] mission in Afghanistan, has supported the Coalition of the Willings in Iraq, as well as the ALTEA operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Everyone in NATO feels and accepts the Republic of Macedonia as being integral part of the Alliance.
Then why was the Republic of Macedonia given humiliation, so undeserving, in Bucharest?
The NATO summit final document, even by means of a diplomatically neutral language depicting the modus operandi of the Alliance, has shown clearly the only reason existing: the invitation to the Republic of Macedonia would be extended as soon as solution is reached on 'the name issue.'
The name issue — this is actually a euphemism for the policy of negation conducted by Greece, an EU and NATO member state, in continuous manner toward the Republic of Macedonia. The paradox is even greater: such policy, that goes so far even to negate a small neighboring nation the right to own name and identity, hides itself behind NATO membership, possibly even EU membership tomorrow, thus turning the community of democracies into a hostage of a national obsession with greatness and with usurped power to exert influence on space and time, since ancient times until the 21st century, pretending to be solely and exclusively a Greek right!
Greece has blocked the NATO membership of the Republic of Macedonia. She [it] has done it by abusing the right of veto, with incredible ease. Years of reforms, self-sacrifice, and achievements made by the entire nation have been called into question because of the caprice of a neighboring country and her irrational need to determine the elementary right of the other one: the right to own name and identity.
The Republic of Macedonia will respond to the injustice so inflicted by dignity of a small and peaceful nation which does not have other claims but the need to live and exist in the Euro-Atlantic community of nations, with provision of that minimum that Greece has negated in such disrespectful manner: to right to have own identity.
The Republic of Macedonia, which has already made numerous concessions to the irrational requests made by Greece, will continue the negotiations with this country under the UN auspices, with intention to close this irrational dispute. However, following the Bucharest Summit, things have become much clearer indeed. The entire democratic world is witnessing a phenomenon unseen before: conditioning the future of a nation by changing the name and identity.
Greece has opened the Pandora Box. The democratic world should help her close it.
