Macedonia

[sToRmR1dR]

What's in a Name? Macedonia Ready to Lose Its Identity to Join NATO

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706111054523896-macedonia-nato-name/

Macedonia is ready to join NATO under the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), which Greece insists on, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Thursday.

Athens has long accused Macedonia of appropriating the name of the northern Greek region of the same name, and has blocked its neighbor from joining both NATO and the EU.
Zoran Zaev said, however, that once in NATO, Macedonia would settle the dispute with the Greeks.

"There are two ways: either to solve the problem, or join NATO under a temporary name and continue negotiations with Greece on the issue that Greece has with our constitutional name related to our integration into the European Union. They are perfectly aware of our desire to join the European Union,” Zaev told Macedonian Radio Television (MRT).

Political analysts Sputnik has talked to were less optimistic about the chances of such a settlement being reached any time soon though.

Milenko Nedelkovski, a Skopje-based political scientist, said that that Zaev’s idea about the name change was nothing new.

“This is exactly the situation we had during the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest when Albania, Croatia and Macedonia were supposed to join NATO together. Macedonia didn’t join then because the Greeks said “no” and so it was agreed that Macedonia would join under the provisional name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and that Skopje and Athens would later work this out between them,” Milenko Nedelkovski told Sputnik Serbia.

“I think that Macedonia will keep insisting that FYROM is a temporary name, and the Greeks will be pushing to make it permanent, and this will go on forever,” he added.

Nedelkovsky said that what really matters is that Macedonia has started giving up on its national interests.

“This will be followed by similar concessions to Albania, Bulgaria or anyone else, and a few years from now Macedonia will have changed beyond recognition,” Nedelkovsky warned.

He believes, however, that indebted as it is to Germany, Greece will hardly be able to resist Washington’s pressure and will have to agree to NATO’s desire to fast-track Macedonia’s accession to the 29-nation alliance.

In Moscow, Balkan-affairs expert Alexander Safonov agreed, saying that Zaev is ready to sacrifice certain things that were deemed important by the previous government to speed up Macedonia’s accession to NATO.

“It looks like the previous Cabinet of Nikola Gruevski was more in line with the policy Russia is pursuing in the Balkans. I’m not sure that everyone in Macedonia share his desire [to join NATO] though. Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE party won the previous parliamentary elections, though with a slim majority over Zaev’s Social Democratic party (SDSM) and the opposition will most certainly use his words to accuse the ruling party of working against the country’s best interest,” Safonov said.

He added that didn’t rule out a repetition of the April riots when hundreds of protesters stormed Macedonia’s parliament and attacked Zoran Zaev and beat him up.

“I believe that Macedonians have more serious problems to deal with than disputing over their country’s name,” Alexander Safonov noted.

Meanwhile, Zoran Zaev still needs the support of two-thirds of the country’s MPs, consultations with the Constitutional Court and probably a nationwide referendum to change the country’s name.

Macedonia joined NATO's Partnership for Peace in 1995 and the Membership Action Plan in 1999, which is a program that offers advice, assistance and support to countries seeking to join the alliance.

 

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Macedonia considers changing its name to join NATO, Nikola Dimitrov told the Financial Times

http://english.republika.mk/macedonia-considers-changing-its-name-to-join-nato-nikola-dimitrov-told-the-financial-times/

Newly appointed Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Dimitrov told the Financial Times that Macedonia is considering changing its name in order to be allowed to join NATO. Dimitrov is set to travel to Athens for a meeting with his Greek counterpart on Wednesday.

“Macedonia will consider changing its name in an effort to unlock Greek opposition to its Nato membership, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Membership of the alliance would help calm the wider Balkan region after months of political tension that occasionally spilled into bloodshed, Nikola Dimitrov will tell senior Nato officials in Brussels on Monday. Mr Dimitrov said he would meet Greek ministers on Wednesday to restore trust between the two neighbours after Athens vetoed the Balkan republic’s Nato application in 2008. ‘I will ask Greece to reconsider what kind of neighbour they want — do they want a stable, friendly country that offers hope for democracy and justice?’ he said in an interview. ‘If we are a good ‘neighbour, then hopefully political forces in Greece will realise this is a historic opportunity.”, the Financial Times writes.

According to the paper, Greece sees the new, SDSM led Government in Macedonia, as more cooperative than the VMRO-DPMNE led Government, but still sees no need for a hasty solution to the name issue. “There are grounds now for more optimism and we’re hoping for progress when our foreign ministers meet in Athens next week. This is an issue that has been on the table for more than two decades and it would be rash to make any prediction”, a Greek official told the Financial Times. The paper says that any move would meet opposition from the nationalist ANEL party, which is party of the ruling Greek coalition, but also from a lesser known nationalist wing within the main ruling SYRIZA party. While in opposition, the far left SYRIZA said it would allow Macedonia to call itself what it wants, but once it assumed power in 2015, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras changed his position.

Dimitrov told the Financial Times that any agreement on a new name would be put to a referendum in Macedonia, and would be introduced in inter-party consultations. Unnamed commentators told the Financial Times that the process could last for up to a year, and was sparked by the renewed Russian push in the Balkans, including the attempted coup in Montenegro.

“The Balkans is not a very happy place; in many places, people feel there is a chance to change the status of the post-Yugoslav war settlements. By welcoming Macedonia, Nato could have a calming effect on the region”, Dimitrov told the Financial Times.

https://www.ft.com/content/14cf0f74-4d17-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b

Dimitrov Said Macedonia Would Seek NATO Membership Under Interim Reference

http://www.independent.mk/articles/44319/Dimitrov+Said+Macedonia+Would+Seek+NATO+Membership+Under+Interim+Reference

After an intervention from the Macedonian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Financial Times changed the title and the lede in its article on Macedonia. The original version quoted newly appointed Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Dimitrov who announced that Macedonia "considers name change in effort to join Nato" and went on to say that "Macedonia will consider changing its name in an effort to unlock Greek opposition to its Nato membership, the country’s foreign minister has said".

In the new version, changed on request from the Macedonia Foreign Ministry, Dimitrov is quoted as saying that Macedonia considers using the interim reference name to join NATO.

The difference is significant, as Macedonia successfully sued Greece for violating the 1995 Interim Accord, in which Greece renounced its veto right over Macedonia's membership in NATO, the European Union and other international institutions, provided that Macedonia uses the temporary reference name "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". In 2011 the ICJ found that Greece violated this article of the Interim Accord when it vetoed Macedonia's membership in NATO at the 2008 Bucharest Summit, and Dimitrov was involved in the litigation at the ICJ. Since then, Macedonian Governments have maintained that Greece must respect the ICJ verdict and should immediately allow Macedonia to join NATO as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". Greece, on the other hand, dismisses the ICJ verdict and insists that it still has the right to veto Macedonia's NATO and EU integration, until Macedonia accepts a new name that would be used in all instances, including domestically. A statement of a Macedonian Foreign Minister that the country considers changing the name to join NATO would be a serious step down from this position.

Further in the interview, Dimitrov said that membership of the alliance would help calm the wider Balkan region after months of political tension that occasionally spilled into bloodshed. "Mr Dimitrov said he would meet Greek ministers on Wednesday to restore trust between the two neighbours after Athens vetoed the Balkan republic’s Nato application in 2008. 'I will ask Greece to reconsider what kind of neighbour they want — do they want a stable, friendly country that offers hope for democracy and justice?' he said in an interview. 'If we are a good 'neighbour, then hopefully political forces in Greece will realise this is a historic opportunity.", the Financial Times writes.

According to the paper, Greece sees the new, SDSM led Government in Macedonia, as more cooperative than the VMRO-­DPMNE led Government, but still sees no need for a hasty solution to the name issue. "There are grounds now for more optimism and we’re hoping for progress when our foreign ministers meet in Athens next week. This is an issue that has been on the table for more than two decades and it would be rash to make any prediction", a Greek official told the Financial Times. The paper says that any move would meet opposition from the nationalist ANEL party, which is party of the ruling Greek coalition, but also from a lesser known nationalist wing within the main ruling SYRIZA party. While in opposition, the far left SYRIZA said it would allow Macedonia to call itself what it wants, but once it assumed power in 2015, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras changed his position.

Dimitrov told the Financial Times that any agreement on a new name would be put to a referendum in Macedonia, and would be introduced in inter­party consultations. Unnamed commentators told the Financial Times that the process could last for up to a year, and was sparked by the renewed Russian push in the Balkans, including the attempted coup in Montenegro.

"The Balkans is not a very happy place; in many places, people feel there is a chance to change the status of the post­-Yugoslav war settlements. By welcoming Macedonia, Nato could have a calming effect on the region", Dimitrov told the Financial Times.

Kotzias Underlines that Macedonia Must Change its Constitutional Name

http://www.independent.mk/articles/44309/Kotzias+Underlines+that+Macedonia+Must+Change+its+Constitutional+Name

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told Macedonia that it will have to accept a change to the constitutional name if it is to join NATO and open European Union accession talks. Speaking to party supporters in Kozani, Kotzias said that, with the new Government in Macedonia, he expects to see renewed pressure from European politicians on Greece to allow Macedonia to resume its EU and NATO integration process, which is stuck by Greek vetoes over the name issue.

"Now that things have stabilized, they will again come and tell us that to stabilize the country further, they need to join NATO and the European Union. No objection here. But they first need to implement their obligations, which means to stop their irredentism and make a compromise on the name. They need to learn the process, the culture of compromise, of consensus and to accept the necessary changes to their constitutional name", Kotzias said. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev spoke with the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov is set to travel to Athens next week.

VMRO-­DPMNE responded to the Kotzias statement, saying that Macedonia has met all criteria to join NATO back in 2008 at the Bucharest summit and "it is only because of the unprincipled Greek blockade that Macedonia is currently not a member of NATO. This was confirmed with the 2011 verdict of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, which found that Greece violated the articles of the 1995 Interim Accord. VMRO­-DPMNE expects that the integration process is unblocked immediately and these unjust decisions are withdrawn. Macedonia deserves to become a member of NATO as soon as possible", VMRO­-DPMNE said in its press release.

Regarding the statement from Kotzias, VMRO­DPMNE says that it simply repeats Greece' hardline position and does not help good neighborly relations.

"With his statement that Macedonia will become a member only when the problem Greece has with our name is resolved, Kotzias does not help overcome the issue. Insisting that Greece will not bow to pressure to allow Macedonia to join NATO under the articles of the Interim Accord can lead to further entrenchment of both sides. Zoran ZAev and the new Government promised to the citizens that they will quickly bring Macedonia in NATO and the European Union. Zoran Zaev and SDS must fulfill the promises they made, and make Macedonia an EU and NATO member as soon as possible, but without undermining the identity issues and signing agreements that are damaging to the Macedonian people and state", VMRO-­DPMNE added in its press release.

To Vima: Greece would not allow Macedonian NATO membership under UN Acronym

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/12/to-vima-greece-would-not-allow-macedonian-nato-membership-under-un-acronym/

Greek To Vima daily writes that the Greek Government will not accept a NATO membership for Macedonia under the interim reference name “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, as provided in the 1995 Interim Accord. According to the unnamed sources To Vima quotes, allowing such an option would mean that Macedonia would de-facto have two names, an option Greece wants to avoid by insisting on one changed name that would be used in all circumstances, domestically and internationally.

Macedonian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Dimitrov further confused the political scene with his interview for the Financial Times, in which he said that Macedonia was considering changing its name to join NATO, only to demand a retraction from the newspaper. In the second version of the article, Dimitrov is quoted saying that Macedonia wants to join NATO under the interim reference and not under a new name. This has been the long standing position of the Macedonian Government and Macedonia successfully sued Greece before the International Court of Justice in the Hague to put pressure on Greece to do just that, but Greece has failed to implement the verdict.

Dimitrov is due in Athens on Wednesday, after a round of meetings in Brussels on Monday where he accompanies Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

Macedonian Prime Minister Meets EU Officials in Brussels

http://www.independent.mk/articles/44312/Macedonian+Prime+Minister+Meets+EU+Officials+in+Brussels

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev will be in Brussels on Monday for meetings with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Council President Donald Tusk, European diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

Zaev travels to these meetings accompanied by Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov. Zaev will have a joint press conference with Stoltenberg, to discuss the chances for removing the blockade on Macedonia's path to NATO. Zaev recently expressed hope that Macedonia could soon become a NATO member under the interim reference, as provided in the 1995 Interim Accord.

The talks with Mogherini and Hahn will focus on implementing the so-called urgent reform priorities in the security services and the judiciary. EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told MIA that the EU will assist Macedonia in implementing the reforms, including by sending retired German legal expert Reinhard Priebe, who drew out the original proposals, back to Macedonia.

 

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Ramush Haradinaj, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, is tipped to become the next Prime Minister in Pristina. Haradinaj has been acquitted of war crimes in The Hague, but Serbia still considers him a war criminal, which could jeopardize Kosovo's hopes of joining the European Union.

Serbia Furious as 'War Criminal' on Course to Become Prime Minister of Kosovo
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706121054559644-kosovo-war-criminal-election/

One of the preconditions of Kosovan acceptance into the EU is for it to improve its relations with Serbia, which currently does not recognize the breakaway state, which is known as Kosovo-Metohija by the Serbs.

Serbian President Alexander Vucic said: "The so-called war or veteran coalition, which has won most votes in the elections in Kosovo and Metohija, is the group that has most openly threatened Serbs, and that will create a lot of problems for us."

He claimed Serbia would be "protecting the interests of Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija."

​Ramush Haradinaj was a former KLA commander who stepped down as prime minister of Kosovo in 2005 in order to defend himself against war crimes allegations.

He was found not guilty at two trials at the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, but Serbia says it has fresh evidence of his guilt.

It claims he killed ethnic Albanian villagers who were accused of collaborating with the Yugoslavian army.

When he was acquitted Judge Bakone Moloto said the evidence was clear that several Serbs were badly beaten and one even died in a KLA compound in Kosovo.

But he said there was no evidence Mr. Haradinaj was involved.

In the Middle Ages Kosovo was the birthplace of the Serbian nation and in 1389 it was the scene of the Battle of the Kosovo, when thousands of Serbs lost their lives fighting invaders from the Ottoman Empire.

But by the beginning of the 20th century ethnic Albanians had become the majority in Kosovo and after the Second World War Serbs increasingly migrated to other parts of what was then Yugoslavia Serbia proper, or abroad.

​In 1996 the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) launched a guerrilla war against what was left of Yugoslavia, which later became Serbia.

Two years later Yugoslavia's President Slobodan Milosevic tried to stamp out the KLA uprising but was accused of trying to ethnically cleanse the province.

Both sides committed atrocities and in 1999 large numbers of Kosovan refugees fled into neighboring Albania and Macedonia.

In March 1999 NATO planes bombed Yugoslav forces in Kosovo and also dropped bombs on Belgrade, causing substantial civilian casualties.

The Yugoslav Army finally withdrew from Kosovo which, in 2008, declared independence. Serbia, Russia and several other countries, including China, do not recognize Kosovo as a nation.

Last month Kosovan political scientist Nexhmedin Spahiu said Kosovo was the "creation of the west" and it would be the west who would control the parliament.

In January this year French police arrested Haradinaj, on the basis of a Serbian arrest warrant, after he flew in from Pristina.

While he was being held in custody his brother Daut, who is a member of the Kosovo Assembly, reportedly threatened that if he was extradited "not a single Serb would remain in Kosovo."

In April the French authorities decided against extraditing him to Serbia and released him to return to Kosovo.

With 70 percent of ballots counted, his center-right Alliance for the Future of Kosovo coalition has around a third of the votes from the weekend's election, ahead of the left-wing Vetevendosje party.

The Serbian newspaper Blic said it had seen a statement from Kutjim Berisha, an ethnic Albanian, who claimed Haradinaj had taken part in war crimes against both Serbs and Albanians accused of collaborating with the Belgrade regime.

He was interviewed in Montenegro in May 2004, but died in a mysterious car crash in Podgorica before Haradinaj went on trial.

Berisha was allegedly one of 19 witnesses against Haradinaj who have died.

 

[angelburst29]

The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that he supports Macedonia's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance in the future. The announcement was made in Brussels in the framework of the meeting with the Prime Minister of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev.

NATO eyeing up Macedonia
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/nato-eyeing-up-macedonia.html

As for the name of the country of Macedonia, the solution must be found within the framework of the UN, said Stoltenberg. He also urged Macedonian authorities to continue the course of reforms aimed at maintaining political stability. The Secretary General has called 'unacceptable', the attempts to put external pressure on Macedonia due to its desire to become a member of the EU and join NATO.

Earlier, Prime Minister of Macedonia said that the country is ready to join NATO under the abbreviation BRYUM - The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The dispute with Greece which arose because of the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, emerged after its break from Yugoslavia in 1991. Athens sought to change the name of the neighboring republic, to avoid it being confused with the Greek region of Macedonia, and block Skopje's accession to the EU and NATO.

Last month, Montenegro officially became a part of NATO, creating much discontent across the Balkans which were once bombed by the alliance.

 

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At All Costs: EU Seeking to Absorb Western Balkan States Into Bloc 'Before 2024'

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201706131054591623-western-balkans-eu-membership/

Johannes Hahn, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations, has said it is "not unrealistic" that Western Balkan states could be absorbed into the EU before 2024. His comments suggest the bloc may be willing to overlook major political sticking points in order to facilitate its ongoing expansion efforts.

Ever since the breakup of Yugoslavia began in June 1991, when member states Croatia and Slovenia declared independence from the confederation, the EU has been eyeing the region lustily, seeking to integrate the fallen country's constituent states as members within its own folds. Slovenia was the first to join in 2004, but it was only in 2005 the six other successor countries were formally recognized as candidates for membership — and it took until July 2013 for Croatia to become a fully-fledged member state.

As of June 2017, Montengro and Serbia are in negotiations to join the bloc (processes which started in 2012 and 2014 respectively), Bosnia and Herzegovina has applied for membership, and Macedonia is a considered a formal candidate for membership. While negotiations have not started, talks have been pending since 2005. Kosovo has not submitted an official application, but is considered a potential candidate in any event. In each country's case, different factors have served as barriers to accession.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)

The EU's beef with FYROM is comparatively trifling — successive Greek governments since the 1940s have objected to the country's name 'Macedonia', on the basis their northern neighbor "stole" it from the eponymous Greek province lying directly to the south of the Macedonian-Greek border.

While the EU has said the country has made "convincing progress" on police reform, tackling corruption and bolstering human rights, arguments over the country's nomenclature have served to impede the country's bids for EU and NATO membership for two decades. Hahn specifically referenced the issue when discussing Western Balkan accession, saying "new momentum" had been injected into the dispute, and if progress was made on the issue by Autumn, the EU would open accession talks.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

While the EU is satisfied with Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress in four key areas — police reform, cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal, public broadcasting and public administration reform — the country's ongoing ethnic quarrels remain a worry the world over.

An EU peacekeeping force remains posted in the region, largely to protect resident Serbs from attack. The EU's official line is Bosnia remains blighted by an "unstable political climate" and ethnic divisions. Still, Hahn's comments suggest the Commission may be willing to look past these major issues in their quest to swallow the region.

​Serbia

After normalizing ties with Kosovo in June 2013, a Commission report said Serbian leaders had shown "political courage and maturity" in tackling difficult issues, as well as committing to better relations — and Serb citizens enjoy visa-free travel to the Schengen area, which includes most of the EU — but the country's future EU membership seems far from certain.
While not formally acknowledged, a major sticking point for EU leaders is Serbia's refusal to adhere to the officially mandated lines on Russia. The two countries enjoy a warm relationship, and Serbia has made clear it would never implement or accept anti-Russian sanctions, or change its policy of military neutrality and join a military alliance such as NATO, or the planned future EU Army. Despite Hahn's avowed willingness to look past other bones of contention with Western Balkan states as part of the bloc's enlargement push, independence on the question of Russian relations may be too bitter and vast a pill for EU leaders to swallow.

Kosovo

The breakaway territory of Kosovo is undoubtedly last in the queue to join the EU. The international community remains bitterly split over its 2008 declaration of independence, with many countries refusing to recognize it as a state in its own right. Among the "refuseniks" are five EU members — Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus.

Moreover, EU leaders are concerned about hostilities directed at Kosovo's Serbian minority population — around 50,000, mainly clustered in the North. While Kosovo and Serbia alike have a formal policy of not impeding the other's EU membership bids, and Kosovo's government has granted a degree of autonomy to Serb-majority areas in the country, many frontline politicians are unhappy about the concession, and actively pledge to reverse it. For instance, Ramush Haradinaj, former field commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army and current leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo party has said if his party prevails, there will be no place neither for Serbia nor for Serb municipalities in Kosovo.

Moreover, a 2013 EU investigation into the country's progress on reforms concluded not enough had been done to tackle human trafficking, or crack down on criminal gangs responsible for the smuggling of illicit drugs and weapons.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Kotzias shuts down Dimitrov: Change your name, then NATO

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/14/kotzias-shuts-down-dimitrov-change-your-name-then-nato/

We are pleased to see our neighbor finding the path to stability, said Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias after Wednesday’s meeting with Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov in Athens, saluting “the friendly commitment expressed at all levels, starting from Prime Minister Zaev”.

“I told Dimitrov at the meeting and now to the public – Greece supports the territorial integrity of our southern neighbor, its stability, sovereignty, non-interference of third parties in its internal affairs and I would urge them to stay away from our bilateral relations. We were against any sanctions imposed on our neighboring country, we have a clear strategy and we do not back down”, said Kotzias.

He voiced conviction that the development of bilateral relations and mutual trust will facilitate talks over open issues, with both sides prepared to talks on these issues once time has matured.

“We believe that promoting the culture of consensus and understanding on the Balkans in general will facilitate our relations with all countries and contribute to the development of a more democratic, more European politically-cultured states”, added FM Kotzias.

He stressed that he wants to see Macedonia join diverse international organizations and Greece is open for support to these efforts, but once the name issue is solved.

“This is the condition and I believe we must and can work on reaching a good compromise that benefits both sides. Let’s contribute and help our citizens and societies to understand that we can achieve more if we go beyond the historical obstacles and do not insist on conflicts that take us nowhere”, said Kotzias.

He said bilateral relations must move forward and friendship between the two nations should be strengthened.

“Greece wants to see the entire Western Balkan region become part of the Euro-Atlantic system. The question is how much these countries want this. They cannot expect us to want this more than they do. They have to want it more than us”, added Kotzias.

He recalled that in February 2015 had told the European partners that fyRoM should not be treated in a way that teaches it against reaching compromises, because this would reflect on its internal developments and international relations.

“And then came the crisis in the country, which is not owed to the Bucharest decision, but from the fact that the previous government did not want to compromise, turning the name issue from a geographic problem into an identity problem. Regarding fyRoM, we want the country to join NATO and EU and can achieve this by finding a name compromise, sign a new agreement in the UN and afterwards go to Brussels with this agreement”, highlighted Kotzias.

According to Greece’s official position, the move by Athens to veto Macedonia’s NATO accession in 2008 cannot be considered an act of hostility.

“What followed afterwards is another thing, but the act itself cannot be considered one of hostility. Each side fights to defend its own position within the foreign policy-making in the way they know best. I do not think that positions of my friends on the north are hostile and please do not consider our activities as being hostile. Greece wants to help our neighbor and despite the crisis you have been through, you are one of the strongest countries on the Balkans. According to me, if you are the strongest, this means you have more obligations, not more rights. I hope we will find a way, a joint path leading to a mutually acceptable compromise, one that enables further nurturing of bilateral relations”, underlined the Greek FM.

He added that today’s discussions would not solve the name issue, but aim to build a positive climate.

“We have the positive framework for the issue’s settlement and I once again would like to thank Nikola (Dimitrov) for this positive climate. It is not sufficient only to have good intentions, but efforts are required for a solution”, said Kotzias.

Pertaining to the confidence-building measures, he emphasized their significance and said talks tackled oil pipeline, gas pipeline, railway route, exchange between diplomatic academies, cooperation among universities, trade, including a business forum to be held in Athens in the second half of 2017.

“Good intentions do not replace negotiations, but make talks more pleasant. We are pleased for the progress that our northern neighbor has made in a very short period and agreed with Dimitrov that parties should undertake all steps possible towards drafting the best measures for further development of our cooperation”, concluded Kotzias.

FM Dimitrov says Athens visit aims at securing support from Greece

My main message today is – I am here to seek support, and it matters less who will be the winner, who will be more skillful in presenting arguments. My message is – I am seeking support from the Greek government and the public in Greece, what we need now is an encouragement to walk tall on the path we want to pursue, Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov stated after a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias in Athens.

“We have no hidden agendas and we want to be friends with your country,” Dimitrov told a news conference.

He thanked Minister Kotzias for inviting him and for his ‘warm welcome.’

“We’ve held open and cordial talks, first meeting tet-a-tet and then we were joined by our delegations. I’ve informed the Minister about the priorities of the new government. We’ve endured some difficult years and we are strongly determined – regardless of whether we will have doors towards a European future opened for us or not – to work hard for strong institutions and rule of law, which will be beyond the will of politicians, and not vice versa,” stated Dimitrov.

As regards the country’s foreign policy, he said, our priorities will be focused on reviving the EU and NATO integration process and also on making Macedonia a better neighbor and a closer friend of all the countries in the immediate neighborhood and beyond, across the region.

“I believe diplomats are tasked with solving issues, opening doors, building bridges. Thus I have made my first official visit to Greece,” the FM noted.

He said he strived to build ‘a fresh, positive image’ in the region through concrete steps.

“I will continue to present arguments, in theory and in practice, that it is in the interest of our bigger and more influential neighbor the country to establish an European-like democracy, which is going to join NATO and launch EU membership talks. And I’m confident that you have many advantages and that unlocking the path could contribute to, and help close the main issue,” stated Dimitrov.

As regards the confidence-building measures, the Macedonian FM called them ‘interesting and useful’ adding that the two ministers in the meeting had add a few elements.

“I’m confident that step by step we will create conditions, we’ve even discussed the opening of a border crossing. I hope one day in the future, there wouldn’t even be a border, literally speaking, if we were to join the EU,” Minister Dimitrov concluded.

Moreover, FM Kotzias said Greece was open to support the efforts of Macedonia to join international organizations on the condition the countries settled the name issue.

Kotzias: Without name change, FYROM cannot hope for EU and NATO membership

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/14/kotzias-shuts-down-dimitrov-change-your-name-then-nato/

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, at a press conference following his meeting with Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov, publicly reiterated the Greek positions that Macedonia cannot hope for membership into NATO and the EU without changing the name.

Kotzias said that FYROM’s membership into NATO and the EU can only be achieved by finding a compromise on the name and signing a new agreement with the UN.

“As for the FYROM, if the country so wishes, we want it to become a member of both NATO and the EU and, as I said, this can be achieved by finding a compromise on the name issue and signing a new agreement with the United Nations (UN), then go to Brussels and publish that new agreement and introduce Brussels institutions with that new agreement,” Kotzias said answering the question of whether they will support Macedonia’s membership into NATO under the provisional reference FYROM.

With this answer, Kotzias practically directly rejected the expectations from the Macedonian side that a NATO admission under the interim reference was possible, which was presented by Zoran Zaev last week in Brussels.

Greece categorically states that Macedonia’s membership into the EU and NATO will not be possible with the reference, but with a new UN agreement for a new name.

What did SDS and Zoran Zaev accept? International propaganda louder, the Guardian and the Financial Times with identical messages to change the name

http://english.republika.mk/what-did-sds-and-zoran-zaev-accept-international-propaganda-louder-the-guardian-and-the-financial-times-with-identical-messages-to-change-the-name/

The Guardian and the Financial Times, both renowned newspapers, sent identical messages on the same day over Macedonia's considering proposals on its name change. It is obvious that the international propaganda is getting louder. The question is what did SDSM and Zoran Zaev accept?

Macedonia is considering proposals on its provisional name in an effort to unlock Greek opposition to its NATO membership. This is the first sentence of the Financial Times‘(https://www.ft.com/video/8d5cf16f-bad9-4427-93aa-b33d7cad693d?playlist-name=editors-picks&playlist-offset=1) latest news segment (video) on the recent developments in Macedonia and the expressed readiness of the new government for some change in the stalled negotiations on the name?

The Financial Times is not the only foreign newspaper that writes about Macedonia considering proposals on changing the name. On the same day, the Guardian sent an identical message. It is obvious that the international propaganda is getting louder. The question is what did SDSM and Zoran Zaev accept?

Macedonia is poised to dispatch its foreign minister to Greece as speculation mounts that the two countries are moving towards settlement of the name dispute that has kept them at loggerheads for the past 27 years. Signalling that a compromise is in the offing, Zoran Zaev, the Balkan state’s new Social Democrat leader, used his first official trip to Brussels on Monday to announce that a solution was possible. “I know that if we have friendly relations and a good approach then a solution is feasible,” he told reporters before talks between Macedonia’s foreign minister, Nikola Dimitrov, and his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias, in Athens on Wednesday, the Guardian writes.

The text further states:

Zaev, whose investiture two weeks ago followed prolonged political turmoil in the former Yugoslav republic, said he wanted the small but strategic nation to join Nato and the EU “in the shortest possible time”. Macedonia, he suggested, could participate in both under the provisional name it currently uses at the UN – FYROM or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

“We will try all possible measures to move Macedonia to membership,” said Zaev.

The quest, as the newspaper writes, comes amid accusations of Russian interference across the Balkan region. The Macedonian government claims the meddling has made membership more vital. Stoltenberg underscored that position, saying Nato’s mission was to support all aspiring countries.

“We want to see your country as part of a stable, democratic and prosperous region,” he said.

The long-running name row has been the single biggest impediment to Macedonia’s integration with the west. Greece, which vetoed the country joining Nato in 2008, has argued vehemently that its northern neighbour’s nomenclature conceals territorial ambitions over the eponymous Greek province that lies directly to the republic’s south. In nearly three decades of often bitter public exchanges, Athens has frequently accused the country of indulging in cultural theft, saying the predominantly Slavic state has deliberately appropriated symbols and heroic personalities from ancient Greek history to buttress its claim to the name.

But Zaev, who formed a government in coalition with parties representing the nation’s large ethnic Albanian minority, has taken a much more conciliatory approach. Last week the centre-left politician criticised his rightwing predecessor, Nikola Grueski, accusing him of provocations during the decade he held office by pushing ahead with a controversial statue and monument-building campaign that named a slew of public edifices after Alexander the Great.

In a television interview the new prime minister said the politics of antagonising Athens would be terminated immediately.

“I can only say that the era of monuments, renaming of highways, airports, sports halls and stadiums with historical names ends,” said the leader whose lividly scarred forehead is testimony to the civil unrest that has gripped the mini-state.

“We shall generate a politics of joint European future.”

Zaev was injured when, in an orgy of violence, a pro-Grueski mob stormed parliament in April.

Any potential name change would be put to public plebiscite for approval. Mooted name changes have included adding geographic qualifiers such as “upper”, “new” or “northern” Macedonia.

In what was seen by Athens as a major compromise, Greece announced in 2007 that it would give its consent to a composite name in which the word Macedonia could feature. At the time the compromise was supported by Panos Kammenos, the leader of the small nationalist Independent Greeks party currently in power with prime minister Alexis Tsipras’s leftist Syriza party.

Since then, emotions have abated as a sense of realpolitik in both countries has taken root. While Zaev believes membership of Euro-Atlantic bodies will help stabilise his ethnically fractious nation, debt-stricken Greece also sees a solution as bolstering its crisis-wracked economy in the Balkan peninsular.

“It is very important that Greece settles this dispute if it is to play an important role in the Balkans,” said Dimitris Keridis, professor of political science at Athens’s Panteion University. “Our neighbour is suffering from very deep internal divisions with the new government believing that the only way to stabilise it is to make the country part of the Euro-Atlantic architecture,” he told the Guardian.

“Clearly it is willing to reach a compromise with Greece to achieve this, a compromise that after years of being able to hide behind Grueski’s intransigence is going to put Greek diplomacy on the spot.”

The Financial Times: Macedonia considers using provisional name to join Nato

A few days ago the same newspaper published an interview with Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov entitled “Macedonia considers changing its name to join NATO”. Only a few hours later, probably after an intervention by the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Financial Times changed the title into “Macedonia considers using provisional name to join Nato”.

“Macedonia will consider new proposals for the provisional name in an attempt to unlock Greek opposition to NATO membership”, said Dimitrov, adding that it was too soon to discuss any specific name proposals.

Dimitrov set to meet Nikos Kotzias on Wednesday

Dimitrov is set to meet Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias on Wednesday to restore trust between the two neighbours after Athens vetoed the Balkan republic’s Nato application in 2008.

“I will ask Greece to reconsider what kind of neighbour they want — do they want a stable, friendly country that offers hope for democracy and justice? If we are a good neighbour, then hopefully political forces in Greece will realise this is a historic opportunity,” Dimitrov said.

He said any new name would be subject to approval in a referendum and the government would seek cross-party consensus before putting the issue to a vote. According to the paper, Greece’s Syriza government has greeted the government in Skopje as a more co-operative partner than its strongly nationalist predecessor.

However, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told Macedonia that it will have to accept a change to the constitutional name if it is to join NATO and open European Union accession talks. He announced that in Athens it will be discussed the direction in which the negotiations will continue, adding that it is too soon to talk about whether the two countries are closer to solving to the name issue. The Greek minister said that from the conversation with Dimitrov he would assess whether the new statements of the Macedonian Government towards Greece have a friendly tone.

Greek daily Kathimerini, citing diplomatic sources, says that Brussels and Berlin are on the offensive for quick accession of Macedonia to NATO under the temporary reference FYROM.

Greece expects escalation of pressure, perhaps during the summer, but what scares Athens is the formulation of the proposal for FYROM’s accession to the alliance with the provisional name, with a commitment to a change that will be ensured by an agreement between Greece and Skopje that would be achieved for some time, the Greek newspaper writes.

 

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How Brussels and Washington encourage a repeat of 1913

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/14/how-brussels-and-washington-encourage-a-repeat-of-1913/

Let’s start with 28 EU leaders discussing the Western Balkans at a recent summit and blaming – what else – “Russian aggression” in the EU’s backyard.

Cue to a Montenegro prosecutor raging that “Russian state bodies” staged a coup attempt during the October 2016 elections to stop the country from joining NATO.

And cue to President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker warning that Donald Trump’s anti-EU rhetoric could lead to war in the Balkans. Juncker, condescending as ever, maintains that, “If we leave them to themselves — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Macedonia, Albania, all of these countries — we will have a war again.”

The Balkans may be about to explode – all over again. Yet with a twist; unlike 1999, NATO won’t get away with bombing a defenseless Belgrade for 78 days. A new generation of Russian missiles would easily prevent it.

The 1999 tragedy in the Balkans was essentially stirred up by fake massacres in Kosovo set up by the BND – German intelligence — using local Albanians and BND agent provocateurs, who shot both sides to stir up a war and break up Yugoslavia.

All Eyes on Albania

What’s evolving at the current geopolitical juncture is even murkier.

The usual suspects do what they usually do; blame Russia, and damn any evidence.
So let a knowledgeable insider, Dr. Olsi Jazexhi, director of the Free Media Institute in Tirana, Albania, be our guide.

In December 2016, the CIA’s John Brennan went to Albania and issued a fatwa for “war against Russia” – especially in Macedonia.

As Dr. Jazexhi explains, “after Brennan left Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, a close friend of George Soros, gathered all Albanian political parties in Macedonia and ordered them to support Zoran Zaev against Nikola Gruevski. Gruevski is seen as filo-Russian and anti-NATO, while Zaev is a lapdog of Soros.

As a result, Gruevski was boycotted by Albanians and Zaev had their support to form a government. The promise of Zaev to Albanians is that Macedonia will adapt Albanian as an official language and create a third (half) Albanian state in the Balkans. Macedonians are resisting, but Tirana and Edi Rama are orchestrating Albanian political parties against Gruevski. The end game is to make Macedonia a NATO member.”

Meanwhile, in Kosovo – essentially a nasty narco-Mafioso scam posing as a state and housing Camp Bondsteel, the largest overseas US military base on the planet — Hashim Thaci, the president and former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) goon, is “building an army for Kosovo. The final aim is to integrate Kosovo into NATO even though Serbia rejects this for its former autonomous province.”

Jazexhi also details how, “in Albania, we have two major terrorist organizations being protected by the Americans and the Europeans.”

The first is what Ankara describes as the Fetullah Gulen Terror organization (FETO), allegedly instrumentalized by German intelligence; “Turkey is protesting why Albania hosts the FETO group but the Americans host them against Erdogan.”

The second is Mojahedin-e Khalq (MKO), which fights against Tehran; “Albania is being turned into the center of MKO. John Bolton was recently in Tirana, with other international supporters of MKO, and they are attacking Iran and calling for regime change.”

The MKO’s wacky Marjam Rajavi has also visited Tirana, developing plans to “topple the Ayatollahs” in Iran.

The key issue, as Jazexhi emphasizes, is that “after turning the Balkans into a recruiting center for ISIS/Daesh during the Syria war, now the Americans are turning Albania into a jihad 2.0 state.”

So what is developing is “the same historical mistake as made by the Albanians of Kosovo, who have 100% linked their future with Camp Bondsteel and would will be instantly re-invaded by Serbia in case NATO or the US leave (which they will, sooner or later, inevitably).

Meanwhile, the European Union and the Americans, who want to de-radicalize the Wahhabi Muslims of Europe, keep mum about the Iranian jihadis.”

The “Invisible” Enemy

So the key piece of the puzzle is the configuration of Albania as the center of Jihad 2.0 — against the Slavs in Macedonia, against Tehran, and also against Ankara. No wonder the chief adviser of the Albanian government, until a few months ago, was a certain Tony Blair.

But then there is the “invisible” enemy that really matters.

In late March, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic went to Beijing in his last official visit before the April 2 elections. Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that economic cooperation with Serbia – and the Balkans at large – is a priority for China.

No question. In 2014, Beijing created a fund that will invest 10 billion euros in Central and Eastern Europe. Last year, China Everbright bought Tirana’s airport in Albania. China Exim Bank is financing highway construction in both Macedonia and Montenegro.

In Serbia, China Road and Bridge Corporation built the 170 million euro Pupin bridge over the Danube in Belgrade – a.k.a. the “Sino-Serbian Friendship Bridge”, inaugurated in 2014 and 85% financed by a China Exim Bank loan.

And the cherry in the (infrastructure development) cake is the 350 km, $2.89 billion high-speed rail line between Athens and Budapest, via Macedonia and Belgrade.

The EU has set off alarm bells on the flagship $1.8 billion Budapest-Belgrade stretch, investigating whether the Hungarian section violated strict EU laws according to which public tenders are a must for large transportation projects.

Inbuilt is the proverbial Western haughtiness, ruling that the Chinese could not possibly be capable of building high-speed rail infrastructure as well if not better – and for a lower cost – than in Europe.

Budapest-Belgrade happens to be the crucial stretch of the Land Sea Express Route that Beijing pledged to build, way back in 2014, with Hungary, Serbia and Macedonia. That’s the crux of the Southeastern Europe node of the New Silk Roads, now Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); a trade corridor between the container port of Pireus, in the Mediterranean – co-owned by China Ocean Shipping Company since 2010 – all the way to Central Europe.

NATO’s official spin is that it must be planted in the Balkans to fight the “threat of terrorism.” According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, “I recently visited Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo, and I’m encouraged to see how focused they are on countering the threat of foreign fighters.”

Well, the “foreign fighters” happen to be right at home, not only in Kosovo but soon in Albania, the capital of Jihad 2.0. NATO after all excels in creating emerging “threats” that are essential to justify its existence.

Jihad 2.0 may be directed against Macedonian Orthodox in Macedonia, against Iran and against Turkey. Not to mention against the Russian underbelly. The invisible angle is that they can always be deployed to jeopardize China’s drive to integrate southeast Europe as a key node of the New Silk Roads.

Macedonian Parliament turns into a ZOO

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/14/macedonian-parliament-turns-into-a-zoo/

Prime Minister and all around criminal Zaev Al-Bagdadi has appointed over 14 individuals with criminal records, out of which 10 have served jail sentences. Majority of these were appointed in high level positions, including chief of cabinet, directors, deputy ministers and advisors.

Arta Tochi, a lady from Ziadin Sela’s Alliance for Albanians was selected as the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. She publicly states that western Macedonia needs to be taken by Albania, and calls her country fyrom!

So you have a well known quisling Nikola Dimitrov as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a complete nutcase in Arta Tochi as his deputy. Only good things can come from this…

The MPs in VMRO-DPMNE wanted to disrupt the vote in Parliament for the likes of Arta Tochi by banging on their tables like school children. But not before UCK’s Xhaferi disrupted the wishes of the opposition to say a word or two by banning everyone from speaking. It’s a new kind of democracy.

The vote proceeded and passed with 63 votes.

Zaev appoints street thug as investment advisor (Photos)

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/14/zaev-appoints-street-thug-as-investment-advisor/

Zaev has appointed Harun Hadzibulik as his investment advisor. His qualifications are many: history of arrests, considered one of the top narcotics dealers in the capital, tied to a murder in downtown Skopje, often pictured with a gun in company of other criminals. It’s the typical profile of an investment guru that will attract Fortune 500 companies to invest in the country.

Struga residents protest against suffocating landfill, VMRO-DPMNE calls for urgent session to tackle the issue

http://english.republika.mk/struga-residents-protest-against-suffocating-landfill-vmro-dpmne-calls-for-urgent-session-to-tackle-the-issue/

For two months now, Struga residents has been suffocating from the unpleasant smell and the dense smoke that is spreading from the landfill that is constantly burning. Citizens are revolted and seek a fast solution to this situation. They continue their protest, because no solution has yet been found for the illegal landfill that suffocates them every day.

It is not known when and whether the landfill will be closed, or whether it will be moved.

For the time being, the ministry leaves the work to expert teams who will examine the situation in the next few days and will bring conclusions at a government session that will further decide on how to act and resolve the problem.

Today in Parliament, VMRO-DPMNE MP, Ilija Dimovski, called for an urgent session in order to find solution in the shortest possible time and said that this situation in Struga should be the first thing that Parliament needs to resolve.

“We have a serious problem and the situation in Struga at this moment is really beyond what can be tolerated. Let’s not allow this problem to become chronic as in some other municipalities, without mentioning other municipalities. We, as a group of elected MPs, can submit material to Parliament, but we do not want that material to be a political pamphlet,” said Dimovski.

 

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US Embassy financed Polls find Zaev greatest man on planet

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/29/us-embassy-financed-polls-find-zaev-greatest-man-on-planet/

Just when you think there is no way the SDS can sink any lower, after financing pro-pedophilia articles, throwing mud on a Governmental vehicle and then calling journalists to complain (look what VMRO did to the car), to hiring street thugs as investment advisors and ex prisoners for Zaev’s personal advisors, to the disaster in Sofia…now we have a poll by Brima Gallup where it found that Zaev is the most popular politician in Macedonia.

Now, with Macedonians furious with the new Government, and particularly with Zaev, something had to be done by his handlers.

BRIMA Gallup’s Gjorgji Kimov was summoned to the US Embassy on June 21st. He spent two hours there. Two days later, a poll appeared in which Zaev is more popular than Gruevski by 3.7% (17%-13.3%)

Hopefully Kimov got decent money from Baily Inc because that’s pretty much the end for that polling agency.

Nobody in Macedonia is buying these fake polls. People are already asking the obvious: if Zaev is in the lead, why is he and his handlers hell bent on postponing and altogether avoiding the upcoming local elections?

VMRO-DPMNE on their part are encouraging Zaev to accept the polls as a great result for his party and call for early elections.

Court to review SPO’s request for detaining VMRO’s leadership

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/30/court-to-review-spos-request-for-detaining-vmros-leadership/

Basic Court Skopje 1 judges are deciding Friday over the requests for detention and precautionary measures in the in the cases of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO).

On Thursday, SPO filed 17 indictments in 18 cases against 94 individuals and seven legal entities. It seeks detention for 18 individuals and precautionary measures against 47 persons.

The SPO seeks to detain essentially the entire VMRO-DPMNE leadership and well known supporters including heads of companies who have donated to the party.

Meanwhile, Courts are still gathering evidence against the SDS and DUI for the coup on April 27th.

 

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Court rejects SPO’s request for detainment

http://www.minareport.com/2017/06/30/court-rejects-spos-request-for-detainment/

Skopje Basic Court I has rejected SPO’s request to detain the leadership of VMRO-DPMNE and others, however
did issue precautionary measures for some of the indicted in the cases ‘Tifani’; ‘Trevnik’; ‘Total’; ‘Titanic’ and ‘Torture’.

Complaints against these decisions could be filed to the Appellate Court in a period of three days, the Court said in a press release.

On Thursday, SPO filed 17 indictments in 18 cases against 94 individuals and seven legal entities. It seeks detention for 18 individuals and precautionary measures against 47 persons.

SPO’s aim is to break VMRO and weaken the state

http://english.republika.mk/spos-aim-is-to-break-vmro-and-weaken-the-state/

SPO’s aim is to break VMRO and weaken the state. SPO runs a political process whose purpose is political rather than legal, and without any evidence goes against a whole party. Hundreds of VMRO-DPMNE’s key bodies are politically charged, without evidence, reads VMRO-DPMNE’s statement.

SPO has turned into a SDS office.

SPO is a tool for coercing VMRO-DPMNE because for 11 years VMRO-DPMNE defended the state and the national interests of Macedonia, resisted many pressures and threats.

In the coming period whenever the topic is resolving the name issue and agreement with Greece, the harmful agreement with Bulgaria, redefinition of the state, the sale of ELEM, harmful and criminal agreements, the law on languages SPO will be activated. It’s their smoke screen.

But the people are watching and know to make a good judgement, and the times are cyclical. The time will come soon when all who have violated the procedures, the laws, and caused harm will be held responsible for their behavior, reads the statement.

Special war against Macedonia entered a new phase: debate

http://english.republika.mk/special-war-against-macedonia-entered-a-new-phase-debate/

Former Minister of Justice, Mihajlo Manevski, at Friday’s debate, organized by Pavel Shatev Institute, says that on Thursday Katica Janeva literally responded to the requests of her orderers.

I think that yesterday was monstrous, a monstrous thing was shown, by the fact that after 18 months they suddenly filed so many indictments. It is no coincidence, it was deliberately timed to burst like a bomb, to see “what the leadership of VMRO-DPMNE did and what crimes were committed” by presenting the situation in their own way, with one parade, with total disregard for the basic principle of the criminal procedure, and that is the principle of presumption of innocence, said Manevski.

This is not a Special Public Prosecutor’s Office for prosecution of crimes arising from the unlawfully intercepted conversations, this is a Special Public Prosecutor’s Office for prosecuting officials and leaders of VMRO-DPMNE, stressed the former minister.

The special war against Macedonia has entered a new phase, says journalist and analyst Cvetin Chilimanov, taking part in a public debate organized by the Pavel Shatev Institute.

Party-instructed public prosecutor’s institution is attempting to destroy VMRO-DPMNE in clear coordination with SDS and an external factor, he said.

He has no doubts that the motives are clear – VMRO-DPMNE is the defender of Macedonia’s sovereignty and national interests. In the meantime, the new government that promised fast integration without losing identity, suffered defeats from Brussels without fast integration, from Athens – which does not matter who is in power in Macedonia, because the Macedonian name and identity must be completely changed.

From the first day I looked with suspicion to her professionalism, objectivity, not to mention her lack of professional capacity and professional credibility. She proved it yesterday. Yesterday she filed indictments for 94 people, 7 legal entities for 18 criminal cases and 17 indictments, said former public prosecutor Sotir Kostov at the debate.

Yesterday, not only VMRO-DPMNE was attacked,but also the democracy in the Republic of Macedonia was threatened. Yesterday, journalists and journalism, the judiciary, members of the SEC were charged, Kostov says, adding that that means that the four segments of democracy were attacked.

For Hoyt Yee, new Macedonian Govt the best thing that happened in Balkans

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/01/for-hoyt-yee-new-macedonian-govt-the-best-thing-that-happened-in-balkans/

The Balkan region must grow up fast before young generations gives up and decides on its own to go to Europe, Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said Saturday at the 12th annual international conference Dubrovnik Forum, entitled ‘Adriatic-Mediterranean Cooperation and Security in Southeast Europe’.

The migrant crisis, he said, has thought us that no country is capable to deal alone with serious challenges, which require coordinated actions, joint responses and in particular preventive measures.

‘We have also learned significant lessons at home after the political crisis in Macedonia. Stability, democracy and rule of law come in one package. A state cannot enjoy a long-term stability if it has fragile institutions. The stability comes with strong institutions, rule of law, independent judiciary, economic prosperity, free media. The new reform Government is working hard to bring the country back to the road to Europe,’ Dimitrov said.

Addressing the conference, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Yee qualified the 27 April incident in Macedonia’s Parliament as the worst and the formation of new reform government as the best event in the Balkan region!

As in previous years, the Dubrovnik Forum covered current international affairs topics. This year’s Dubrovnik Forum focused on the Adriatic-Mediterranean Area, which is, geographically, a meeting point and the crossroads of Middle East, North Africa and Europe. It also tackled the common challenges of security and stability in the Mediterranean and neighboring areas through strengthening of cooperation and fostering dialogue, while, at the same time, addressing the opportunities for concrete and future actions. The event also put emphasis on the developing business opportunities in the Eastern Mediterranean region, as well as on the intercultural dialogue, underlining youth’s mobility and education.

At the event’s sidelines Dimitrov had a meeting with Yee, who reaffirmed the US support of Macedonia’s integration with the European Union and NATO, the Ministry of Foreign affairs said in a press release.

 

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Zaev told Borisov he plans on using SPO to jail VMRO’s leadership

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/02/zaev-told-borisov-he-plans-on-using-spo-to-jail-vmros-leadership/

SDS leader Zoran Zaev was in close contact with Bulgaria’s PM Boyko Borisov long before the coup. The two frequently exchanged SMS messages, and Zaev visited Sofia three times this year – reports Republika.

Zaev is more popular among the Bulgarian Government officials than Borisov himself, reports Republika. The bromance between traitor Zaev and official Sofia begun when the SDS leader took intercepted communication of Macedonian Government officials given to him by MI6 and the CIA and gave it to officials in Sofia! This act would result in the death penalty in every country, particularly in the United States.

Since then, Zaev has formed a strong bond with Borisov, but even the Bulgarian PM was taken aback by Zaev’s behavior, reports Republika.

On May 20th, Zaev had agreed to sign an ‘agreement’ with Sofia that would meet all the needs and requirements of the Bulgarian Government.
However, Borisov shocked by how easy things have become, and being much wiser than Zaev, asked the SDS leader that it would be prudent for him to get the approval of the VMRO-DPMNE for this agreement, because tomorrow, if they come to power, they can nullify the agreement.

Zaev told Borisov there is no need to get VMRO-DPMNE on board because the plan is to jail the leadership of the party and remove them from politics.

Borisov remained confused with Zaev’s response and didn’t say anything, reports Republika.

According to the Skopje daily, Zaev had arranged the ‘agreement’ with Sofia before he was installed in power, the recent visit to Bulgaria was only a formality for the public.

Nimitz meeting with president Ivanov

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/02/nimetz-meeting-with-ivanov/

The UN special envoy for the talks between Macedonia and Greece on the name issue, Matthew Nimitz, is scheduled to meet President Gjorge Ivanov Sunday afternoon at 17:15h, the President’s Cabinet said in a press release.

Nimitz comes to Skopje on an invitation of Macedonia’s Government with the purpose of discussing the way forward in the UN-brokered talks aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue, the UN said in a press release.

Nimitz’s visit to Athens, based on an invitation of the Government of the Hellenic Republic, is being scheduled as soon as possible following the one to Skopje, the press release reads.

Ahead of hid visit in an interview with the Alsat TV ‘360 Degrees’ program, Nimitz says it is good that the new government immediately expresses willingness for resuming the negotiations.

‘There is a new government in Skopje with fresh ideas about this issue. For the last few years, due to various reasons, the time was not appropriate for intensive, serious talks about the name issue. I hope the focus is returning to this rather significant issue. I am going to meet the parties and test their readiness for serious progress but I will not bring new proposal,’ Nimetz said.

The last Nimetz’s visit to the two countries took place in late July of 2014.

 

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Court rejects SPO’s calls to detain Gruevski, Jankulovska… as groundless

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/03/court-rejects-spos-calls-to-detain-gruevski-jankulovska-as-groundless/

A Skopje court has rejected a motion for detention of people accused by the Special Public Prosecution (SPO) as regards its case codenamed Titanic. Also, precautionary measures have been approved.

“The Criminal Council of the Basic Court Skopje 1 in Skopje has reached a decision to reject a motion requesting detention of N.G., M.P., M.J., and G.J. citing ‘groundless’ arguments. For other ex officials, precautionary measures have been ordered requiring parties to report to a court once a week, having their passports confiscated temporarily and a ban on having new passports issued as well as temporary confiscation of diplomatic passports,” the Basic Court Skopje 1 said Monday in a press release.

Also, the court has upheld a motion ordering precautionary measures against a total of 16 people.

The decisions can be appealed in the next three days before the Appellate Court.

Last week, the SPO filed 17 indictments in 18 cases against 94 individuals and seven legal entities.

The SPO’s case codenamed “Titanic” indicts former state officials and high-ranking party representatives for ‘electoral fraud’ committed in 2013.

VMRO-DPMNE calls on Zaev to publish the treaty he wants to sign with Bulgaria

http://english.republika.mk/vmro-dpmne-calls-on-zaev-to-publish-the-treaty-he-wants-to-sign-with-bulgaria/

VMRO-DPMNE called on Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to make public the friendship agreement which he said he will sign with Bulgaria at the traditional Ilinden Uprising celebration on August 2nd. In a press release, VMRO-DPMNE says that Zaev and his SDSM party are hiding the text of the agreement because it is harmful to Macedonian national interests.

“His actions and willingness to accept a damaging agreement has sparked statements that undermine the Macedonian state. We heard comments from SDS coalition partners that the Ilinden Uprising had a Bulgarian character, we saw Bulgarian football fans slogans that Macedonia is Bulgarian, we hear comments that there is no Macedonian language or history and the statement from Bozidar Dimitrov that this agreement will put an end to what he calls the ‘theory of Macedonism'”, VMRO-DPMNE writes in its press release. VMRO-DPMNE refers to SDSM as SDS, omitting the letter M that stands for Macedonia.

Macedonia and Bulgaria have negotiated the agreement of friendship for a long time, and Bulgaria elevated the signing of this agreement as its condition for Macedonia to open European Union accession talks, which are already blocked by Greece over similar historic issues. VMRO-DPMNE also condemned the announcement coming after Zaev’s visit to Bulgaria that Macedonian history books will be purged from elements that could be seen as negative to Bulgaria, saying that it can open a process of engineering the Macedonian nation and state.

“We support building of good neighborly relations with all our neighbors, based on mutual respect, but we will never accept something that is damaging to the Macedonian state and national interests”, VMRO-DPMNE adds in its press release.

Zaev stalls law on languages, Albanians threaten, international community powerless

http://english.republika.mk/zaev-stalls-law-on-languages-albanians-threaten-international-community-powerless/

Zaev is doing everything to prolong the passing of the Law on Languages in the form that he promised during the formation of the government coalition in the first hundred days of the formation of the government, sources from DUI and other Albanian parties told “Kurir”.

Zaev’s goal is to prolong the passing of the law after the local elections in October because he is aware that if this law is implemented, he will experience a disaster in the elections.

Fierce argument between Ahmeti and Zaev

This SDSM maneuver caused serious reactions in the Albanian bloc. DUI estimated that they would not be able to withstand the pressure from Besa, but also from the voters. Ahmeti threatened Zaev with breaking the government by asking its confidence or in another form. He told his coalition colleague that he took great risk in leaving a coalition that was producing results, jobs, factories and that he must compensate that now. In order to calm the tension in the correspondence, representatives of the international community were involved.

Intervention from the international community

The international community balances the pressure on both sides. Ahmeti was suggested that it is of greater interest to close the issues with Greece and Bulgaria, for which they need strong SDSM and SDSM which will defeat VMRO-DPMNE in the municipal elections, thus causing shift of leadership which will enter into a joint resolution of the name with SDSM or, at the very least, it will keep silent. Ahmeti was told that Zaev already has a major issued to resolve, and that is the agreement with Bulgaria, an important for the road to the EU, and that the two issues are too much to solve for a short period of time.

On the other hand, Zaev had to swallow up the story that DUI’s ratings is in free fall and that if the law is not passed, it will lose to Besa in the municipal elections, and they do not want that as it is believed that Besa is under partial influence of Turkey and Erdogan. Zaev was told that Ahmeti should be helped, and that he would respond with support in the second round of municipal elections, especially in Skopje and Kumanovo.

VMRO-DPMNE calls on SDSM to stop delaying on proposal to introduce chemical castration for repeat pedophiles

http://english.republika.mk/vmro-dpmne-calls-on-sdsm-to-stop-delaying-on-proposal-to-introduce-chemical-castration-for-repeat-pedophiles/

VMRO-DPMNE called on the Government to stop ignoring its request to introduce chemical castration as punishment for pedophilia. At a press conference VMRO-DPMNE member of Parliament Nevenka Stamenkovska said that Macedonia is faced with an attempt to normalize pedophilia, after an article in that regard by a social media commentators was widely spread.

“The Justice Ministry mustn’t postpone the introduction of chemical castration any further. It is widely supported by prominent citizens and experts, as well as a number of organizations. It provides chemical castration for all repeat pedophiles, as a preventive measure that will stop the offenders”, Stamenkovska said.

An article by minor social media celebrity Nikola Shindre, was widely shared, including on left wing news sites. Stamenkovska said that Shindre was an active participant in street protests organized by SDSM and that this constitutes a dangerous attempt to normalize pedophilia and to relax the sanctions regime associated with it. VMRO-DPMNE also objected after an online database of registered pedophiles, that included their home addresses, was briefly made off line.

Morbid SDS unscrews children’s teeter-totters so they can blame Karposh mayor

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/02/morbid-sds-unscrews-childrens-teeter-totters-so-they-can-blame-karposh-mayor/

In preparation for the local elections, crazed SDS activists have unscrewed teeter-totters at a local Karposh park in hopes that some kids would be hurt so they can blame the popular Karposh mayor Stevco Jakimovski!

The park is located near the student dorms “Goce Delcev”.

SDS portals immediately started campaign of Jakimovski’s mismanagement, lack of safety and inability to lead the municipality of Karposh.

The Karposh mayor’s office issued a press release in which it stated multiple children’s toys and games have been sabotaged in the playground which has resulted in one child being lightly injured. “Teeter-totters have been unscrewed, ropes have been severed all in an effort for children to get hurt” says in its press release.

Parents fear this type of insanity can spread to other parts of Skopje.

Stevce Jakimovski used to be part of the SDS, however quit the party roughly five years ago citing their treasonous activities as a reason. Jakimovski has won multiple mayoral mandates in Karposh, and been a torn in the eyes of the SDS ever since.

 

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Greek Government viewed Dimitrov as a “child”

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/03/greek-government-viewed-dimitrov-as-a-child/

SDS officials have leaked information to Macedonian media on Nikola Dimitrov’s visit to Athens.

Republika reports that the visit between Kotsias and Dimitrov was not friendly, and Dimitrov behavior and negotiating skills were so bad that Greek Government officials mused they were dealing with a ‘child’.

Perhaps, the list Greek officials gave Dimitrov sums up what they thought of his visit to Athens.

Keep in mind, both Dimitrov and Zaev publicly announced Macedonia will enter NATO and the EU very quickly under the UN reference. The source of this sort of optimism comes from the fact Zaev had met both in secret and publicly with Greek Government officials and operatives for years.

Official Athens went as far as to gift the Strumica mayor a beautiful hacienda on the shores of the Aegean sea.

However, upon the visit, Kotsias told Dimitrov there is no chance for Macedonia to enter NATO or the EU under the reference. In addition, this is the list of demands Dimitrov received from the Greek Government as a “must do” for them to remove the veto:

1. Cannot enter the EU or NATO under the reference.
2. Must change the name. Identity and language must match the new name.
3. New name must be present in personal IDs, not just passports.
4. Must change your Constitution, and the name in it.
5. No referendum is allowed on the name. Should there be one and is not successful, you cannot hold a new referendum for 20 years.
6. The opposition must agree to the new name, we cannot afford problems if a new Government comes to power.
7. You must remove all monuments tied to Alexander the Great.

Dimitrov, dubbed ‘the charmer’ within his party, was unable to find the exit door once he received Athens’ demands.

The Greek Government is fully aware their demands are unacceptable and absurd, however, want to make the most of it with the treasonous Macedonian Government in place.

Dimitrov on his end, just two days after coming back to Macedonia already started working to meet some of Athens demands.

According to the Foreign Minister, Macedonia doesn’t need monuments to feel Macedonian!

The current focus of western diplomats and Zaev’s government in Macedonia is to remove Gruevski from the leadership position at VMRO-DPMNE, to pave the way first for success at local elections and later for changing the name.

Poposki: You admitted that only obstacle to Macedonia’s EU and NATO membership is Greece, not VMRO-DPMNE

http://english.republika.mk/poposki-you-admitted-that-only-obstacle-to-macedonias-eu-and-nato-membership-is-greece-not-vmro-dpmne/

Nikola Poposki, the former foreign minister, welcomed the fact that Nikola Dimitrov before everyone admitted that the only obstacle for Macedonia’s EU and NATO membership was Greece, and not the previous government led by VMRO-DPMNE.

The Foreign Policy Committee held a session in Parliament where current Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov referred to the work done so far.

The new Government came up with a thesis that we are not a NATO member, we have not started the EU membership negotiations because of bad leadership, state, nationalism, attitudes, etc. I am pleased that the Minister, after his first visit to Athens, is approaching to the assessment we had all before that our membership in the European Union depends on Athens and that the thesis that went to Athens i..e here is now a new Government, simply Greece will change its assessment and allow Macedonia to join NATO and start negotiations with the EU under the provisional reference as it was agreed in the 1990s. It was the thesis that went to Athens and Athens gave an unequivocal answer the same as we had before. Clear, concise, without any dilemmas. You need to make substantive concessions on this issue, you have to follow the directions that we give you and at that moment the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Republic of Macedonia can unlock, said Nikola Poposki from VMRO-DPMNE.

Zhurnal: DP-DPA to hold Central Assembly on July 9th, assess coalition with Zaev

http://english.republika.mk/zhurnal-dp-dpa-to-hold-central-assembly-on-july-9th-assess-coalition-with-zaev/

The DP-DPA led by Zijadin Sela will hold a Central Assembly on July 9, where they will be receiving new members in the party and assess the current policies of the shared governance with SDSM.

The Central Assembly will evaluate the cooperation with the parties from the government coalition, but will also concretize the previously expressed attitudes regarding the goals of this party in support of a reform government that meets the requirements of the Albanians.

Otherwise, the DP-DPA has already made it clear that after 100 days it will leave the Government if the Law on Albanian language does not pass.

DUI progressives propose legalizing gay marriage

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/04/dui-progressives-propose-legalizing-gay-marriage/

VMRO-DPMNE said that it will not support the proposal to legalize same sex marriage in the Parliament, after a bill was proposed by DUI member of Parliament Branko Manojlovski. Meanwhile, SDS deputy party leader Muhamed Zekiri was condemned by NGO groups and by other SDS members of Parliament after he posted the Quran hadith which condemns homosexuals to Hell on his Facebook page.

“Marriage is a union of a man and a woman. That is how it has always been, and that is how it should remain. Without any debate, without submitting any arguments in favor of their proposal, SDS and DUI tried on Monday to plant a proposal to legalize homosexual marriage in a way that can lead to future adoption of children by same sex couples. This was not part of the program of either of these two parties and the citizens did not vote or it. VMRO-DPMNE supports individual liberties and the free expression of sexual identity in accordance with the existing laws”, said VMRO-DPMNE member of Parliament Blagica Lasovska.

Lasovska said that Macedonia is a traditional society that preserves its family values and that the DUI proposal is against the wishes of the large majority of citizens. According to Lasovska, it is concerning that media outlets close to the SDSM-DUI led majority in Parliament recently carried an article that called for accepting pedophilia and defining pedophiles as a marginal sexual identity group.

It is not known why a sunni muslim political party would propose legalizing gay marriage, considering Zaev had promised the US, Dutch and German embassies he would implement such law. This appears more of a strategy by the trio western Embassies to have an ethnic Macedonian within DUI make the proposal and take some of the burden off from the SDS who are already deeply in trouble. The US, Dutch and German embassies’ staff in Macedonia are overwhelmingly homosexual and lesbian and have never hidden this fact. The three embassies often fly the LGBT flag at their compounds, have promoted and financed gay and lesbian agenda in Macedonia for over 10 years.

Meanwhile, recently appointed SDS deputy party leader Muhamed Zekiri, who is an Islamic theologian, caused what appeared to be manufactured uproar after, in apparent response to Manojlovski’s proposal, posted the hadith from the Quran that is widely seen as condemning homosexuals and calling for them to be stoned or otherwise killed.

Several NGO groups such as the defunct Helsinki Committee and the LGBTI Support Center condemned Zekiri’s Facebook post. “Homophobic statements from current members of Parliament who degrade the LGBTI community with discriminatory language and hate speech are contrary to the reform orientation that is the stated goal of the new Government. We expect that these comments are punished and that political parties refrain from the public statements by their members which are contrary to the Constitutional principle of equality among all citizens”, the Helsinki committee said in its press release. SDS member of Parliament Aleksandar Kiracovski said that the party does not share Zekiri’s positions and that they are his own, personal opinions.

President Ivanov sends letter of congratulations to President Trump on the 4th of July

http://english.republika.mk/president-ivanov-sends-letter-of-congratulations-to-president-trump-on-the-4th-of-july/

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov sent a letter congratulating US President Donald Trump on the 4th of July – the American Independence Day.

“I remain assured that in the coming period bilateral ties between our two countries will continue to develop with an even stronger pace, through open and constructive dialogue based on mutual understanding, trust and firmer and more intense economic relations. Our aspirations for full Macedonia NATO membership and for Euro-Atlantic integration remains the focal point of our continued political activities, and I expect that the open support on the part of the friendly United States of America will continue in the future. Mr. President, i would like to point out that the Republic of Macedonia highly values the global role of the United States and that we remain fully committed to strengthening and enriching our strategic partnership with your great nation”, President Ivanov writes in his letter to President Trump.

 

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Ivanov at Intl Forum: Macedonia perfect example of double standards

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/05/ivanov-at-intl-forum-macedonia-perfect-example-of-double-standards/

Macedonia is the perfect example how a country may be a subject of double standards and hypocrisy, President Gjorge Ivanov said Wednesday at the 28. annual session of the Crans Montana Forum in Barcelona.

Speaking at the opening session, dubbed Which World for Tomorrow? Strategies for Stability in an Unpredictable Environment – Towards a New Governance‘, Ivanov notified the disrespect of an international agreement signed by Macedonia with one of its neighbors, which ‘brings about international legal obligations’. There is also a ruling of The-Hague-based International Court of Justice that has been ignored by everybody as if it’s non-existent, he said.

Macedonia, he went on, has done a lot for Europe’s security but is still treated as third country, being even deprived of access to certain EU security instruments.

However, Ivanov still hoped that the European Union, NATO and the countries of the region would draw conclusions from the incorrect treatment of Macedonia.

‘Considering the topic of our discussion I cannot see any other sustainable stability strategy in a globally unpredictable environment but restoring of the only system that offered stability, namely respecting, not purpose-serving interpretation, of the international laws and obligations. It also calls for full cooperation – above all in the sphere of security and the fight against the main challenges – extremism and terrorism,’ Ivanov said.

The President also referred to Macedonia’s success in the migrant crisis management. The crisis, he said has convinced the greatest skeptics that a small territory is not an insignificant one, and that ‘a small country doesn’t mean a minor role in global processes’.

‘Macedonia has opted for humanity, fairness and equal treatment in terms of the humanitarian aspect of the migrant crisis; decisiveness and readiness for cooperation with all affected in regard to its security aspect,’ Ivanov said.

The foundations of the world order are seriously shaken and hence ‘we are in state of global disorder’, Ivanov said, calling on the United Nations and other international organizations to reform and adjust to the new reality.

Kovachev: It’s good that Zaev turned to Sofia and entered into conflict with Serbia (video)

http://english.republika.mk/kovachev-its-good-that-zaev-turned-to-sofia-and-entered-into-conflict-with-serbia-video/

Andrey Kovachev, GERB MEP, member of the European Parliament since 2009, says that it is good that Zoran Zaev is entering into a serious conflict with Serbia.

“As regards the agreement on good neighborly relations, for now he had several working groups that reached to a certain text that I personally have not seen, but I still hope that one of the main commitments of Mr. Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov will be, same as they told me, to have the best relations with Bulgaria, and immediately starting with, as you surely know that Zaev is entering into a serious conflict with Serbia, in the last few weeks, that’s good, so we do not trust words, we also want to see deeds,” he says.

Andrey Kovachev is known to the Macedonian public as a Bulgarian MEP who together with Angel Dzambaski are authors of the scandalous resolution with which the European Parliament legitimized a Bulgarian minority in the areas where Macedonians live.

SDS puts Macedonia in debt 60m euros with one month in charge

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/06/sds-puts-macedonia-in-debt-60m-euros-with-one-month-in-charge/

VMRO-DPMNE said that the SDS led Government issued debt worth about 60 million EUR in a little over a month since it’s been in office.

“For each and every one of the past 37 days, the SDS led Government indebted the citizens by 1,6 million EUR, on average. And the result of this is one big zero. We saw no investments, only destruction and blockades as a result of their work. If this pace continues, in a year the Zoran Zaev Government will put the country in debt of 720 million EUR”, said VMRO-DPMNE member of Parliament Dragan Cuklev.

Cuklev said that SDS, which VMRO-DPMNE and the rest of the country refers to as SDS, is acting contrary to its pledges before the elections. “They still haven’t increased the minimum wage to Zaev’s promised 16.000 denars, or increased the average wage to 30.000 denars. Doctors are yet to receive the promised 100.000 denars per month and not a single kilometer of the promised 500 kilometers of new highways has been laid”, added Cuklev.

 

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Constitution violated with pen: Nikoloski didn’t get EU Ambassador post with forgery

http://english.republika.mk/constitution-violated-with-pen-nikoloski-didnt-get-eu-ambassador-post-with-forgery-photo/

Zaev threatened before the elections that he would break the regime with a pen, and after becoming a regime, he breaks the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia with a pen. To the detriment of the state, the Government stopped the procedure for appointing Aleksandar Nikoloski as ambassador and head of the Macedonian Mission to the EU.

Macedonia’s EU integration process is in jeopardy two weeks after Aleksandar Nikoloski passed before the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, every day without an ambassador and head of mission in Brussels is a huge irreparable damage to our country.

The Government of the Republic of Macedonia directly violated the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Macedonia and, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a forgery of the document that denied the right of Alexander Nikoloski to be appointed ambassador and head of the Mission of the Republic of Macedonia to the EU in Brussels.

Nikoloski published this accusation on his Facebook profile, revealing the forged document to the public.

“In the desire to politically block my appointment as ambassador, the Government held a closed session on which it reached a conclusion to terminate the procedure for appointment. The conclusion that I published in the public interest is controversial in several respects:

1. No article of the Law on Foreign Affairs or the Constitution, by which is adopted, is quoted in it. The reason is very simple – there is no such article! Nowhere in the law it is stipulated that the completed procedure can be terminated.

2. Only a conclusion was reached without a decision. The decision should be signed by the Prime Minister, probably aware that they are violating the law, they shift the burden to the Secretary General.

3. To date, neither the Government nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have informed me in writing about their activities, probably because they are illegal.

4. The largest scandal – the date of reception of the minutes in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fake! With a pen, the number 20 is replaced with number 19, for the admission date to be June 19 and not June 20. Only the Foreign Ministry knows why did they need this? ”

Nikoloski publicly requested an answer from the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs why they brought an illegal conclusion and why forgery was made on the date of admission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“If they are right, why did they make forgery?”

He also urges them to stop destroying the reputation of the Republic of Macedonia in the European Union, to stop the unserious attitude and the desire for a narrow political approach in foreign affairs.

“How will Macedonia implement reforms and move toward the EU with violation of the Constitution and the laws, and with forgeries,” asks Nikoloski.

Sofia presents “red lines”: Samuil and Ilinden are only the first steps, it takes a lot more

http://english.republika.mk/sofia-presents-red-lines-samuil-and-ilinden-are-only-the-first-steps-it-takes-a-lot-more/

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva presented the red lines that Sofia will not cross over to sign the agreement on good neighborly relations. According to her, Sofia made a compromise on the language in 1999 with a clause that is now being proposed, “in Bulgarian language in accordance with the Constitution and in Macedonian language in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia”.

She again stressed that Zaev bowing before the monument of Tsar Samuil in Sofia and the invitation to Borisov to celebrate the Ilinden Uprising were still the first steps, but that it takes a lot more.

However, Zaharieva categorically emphasizes “Bulgaria will make compromise bigger than the compromise it made in 1999,” pointing out the parts concerning history and the renouncing of Macedonians in Bulgaria, which they regard as “claims.”

“The text in terms of shared history was presented and it is one of the other red lines. The third is a text from the 1999 declaration of restraint, and nothing of the Constitution of Macedonia can be used for claims on its part for minorities in Bulgaria and the protection of the rights of persons who are not its citizens. I will not add more on this subject. Many governments have worked and it is very important, not only the concrete signing which is undoubtedly extremely important, because it is a sign if they really want to change their attitude, “said Zaharieva.

Eurostat asks how can Macedonia not have a census in 16 years?

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/07/eurostat-asks-how-can-macedonia-not-have-a-census-in-16-years/

Eurostat condemned Macedonia for postponing its census for five years. According to the European statistics organization, the census should not be a political operation and needs to be performed, registering only the people who currently reside in Macedonia, or have been absent for less than one year, MIA correspondent reports.

Pieter Everaers, head of international cooperation with Eurostat, told MIA that the methodology for conducting a census is determined by the United Nations and mustn’t be subject to political haggling. The 2011 attempt to conduct a census was cut short after disputes between the political parties and attempts to register people who permanently live abroad. The procedure is important because, under the Macedonian constitution, a community with more than 20 percent of the population receives additional minority rights. Because of this, Macedonia is in its 16th year without a census. The last census was in 2002, following the armed conflict, and it was the first under the new rules that provided greater minority rights for communities making up more than 20 percent. The census was widely to be fabricated, even the opposition admitted.

“Normally, a census is conducted each 10 years. AS a rule, politics should be separate from statistics and we need to respect the principle of professional independence. The State Statistics Bureau needs to be independent and to work according to international recommendations”, said Everaers.

 

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VMRO-DPMNE: Hiding the agreement with Bulgaria raises doubts

https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=37392.390;last_msg=723653

VMRO-DPMNE believes that withholding the agreement the Government has reached with Bulgaria, which should be signed it in a few weeks, has raised doubts that Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is selling Macedonia’s national and state interests.

While Zaev keeps the Macedonian civil and scientific public in darkness by not telling what he has agreed to in Bulgaria, refusing to inform MPs in the Parliament of the contents of the agreement, the Bulgarian government on July 5 sent the agreement to the Bulgarian Parliament, in order for the lawmakers to give an assessment. Zaev’s lack of transparency in the entire negotiation process and his silence regarding the insults that Bozidar Dimitrov, director of the Bulgarian National Historical Institute directed towards Macedonia, that the fulfillment of the agreement would mean an end to Macedonianism, and that the Macedonian language is a Bulgarian dialect raises suspicion that Zaev is selling Macedonia’s national and state interests, VMRO-DPMNE said in a statement.

VMRO-DPMNE also adds that although he promised public debates on all important issues, this is not the case..

It is scandalous that the MANU as the highest expert and scientific institution in the country to have no information about the agreement with Bulgaria, which Zaev negotiated in Sofia. It is unacceptable that the MANU keeps silent on the non-transparency of the Government. Even though MANU President Taki Fiti met with Zaev, he did not ask him to inspect the agreement, which is of particular importance for the country, the statement added.

The party says that Fiti should overcome the fear of Zaev and show minimum credibility because, as its says, leads the institution with the greatest scientific potential in Macedonia.

Cuculovski: Compromise or “compromise” – what was negotiated with Bulgaria?

http://english.republika.mk/cuculovski-compromise-or-compromise-what-was-negotiated-with-bulgaria/

University professor Ljubomir Cuculovski commented on the news published by some media that a compromise between Macedonia and Bulgaria was reached that would improve the neighborly relations.

“Therefore, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia should clearly specify: 1) What was the nature of the bad neighborly relations, or on what plan was it manifested? 2) To say, without any circumvention, what has the Republic of Macedonia requested from the Republic of Bulgaria. Of course, the reverse – what has the Republic of Bulgaria requested from the Republic of Macedonia, because compromise is only a matter when two parties make certain concessions to each other, because they have conflicting demands and 3) What are the Macedonian concessions? ”

Cuculovski expects to receive simple answers to simple questions, unless it is a secret diplomacy.

“However, secret diplomacy is unprecedented for any democratic government, including the present one,” Cuculovski concludes.

SDSM promised everything before elections just to get more votes from citizens

http://english.republika.mk/sdsm-promised-everything-before-elections-just-to-get-more-votes-from-citizens/

SDSM promised everything before the elections just to get more votes from the citizens. That they would bring life, that they would return all emigrants from Macedonia, that they would bring new jobs, that instead of party people, experts would be employed, that they would separate parties from the administration, that they would consult with the people for everything, that doctors would be paid at least 1,600 euros, and the average salary would be 500 euros, that the farmers would get a lot of money, modern education, NATO, the EU, reforms … and what not, Nikola Gruevski said in his speech on the occasion of the 26 anniversary of UMS VMRO-DPMNE.

Alright somebody will say a short period of time has passed, they have been in power for 40 days. Yes it is short, but do you remember what we did in the first 40 days when we came to power in 2006? We reduced the VAT for farmers for agricultural mechanization, for agricultural devices by amending the law, but we also reduced the VAT for public transport, pharmaceuticals, computers, and more other products and services, for the first time we introduced subsidies for farmers in Macedonia by expressly rebalancing the budget, we introduced a flat tax by changing the law, we lowered the taxes to the lowest in Europe, and then in the world, with a new mobile operator we reduced the prices of telephone services by 70%, we adopted a law that created the Ministry of Information Technologies, we devised, defined and published the concept of free economic zones in which many investors came, we introduced a law with which we created the third state University in Stip, and a number of other very specific reforms, deeds, projects, and steps that we had promised and whose implementation we did not postpone.And after the formation of the government in 2008 in the first 100 days, we had 183 implemented measures, said among other things the leader of VMRO-DPMNE.

Baily to engage Macedonians in US to invest back home

http://www.minareport.com/2017/07/10/baily-to-engage-macedonians-in-us-to-invest-back-home/

Adopting a law on Diaspora, erasing of its ethnical division and bringing the young people back home are the three government’s priorities, the Minister in charge of relations with Macedonian nationals living abroad, Edmond Ademi, told Monday to US Ambassador Jess Baily.

Baily commended the idea for drafting a strategy on returning young emigrants home. The Diaspora is a significant resource for every country, Baily said, offering personal engagement in establishing ties with Macedonians living in the US to invest in their homeland.

The US Ambassador has become more of a SDS MP, is present at more SDS meetings than Zaev himself. Ironically, roughly six months ago the Macedonians in the US started a campaign to recall the US Ambassador from Macedonia. It would be interesting to see how and who is Baily going to reach out to.