Situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (debate)

Honourable Mr/Mrs President,

Dear Colleagues,

I am taking the floor on the procedure of one minute speech with the clear mind that only in two days we are going to debate on the issues of Republic of Macedonia.

Not long ago the Bulgarian Liberal Party- MRF’s president made his statement about the conflict in Kumanovo. Unarguably the conflict in Kumanovo can be interpreted from different points of view, but it must remind us the most important- that the transition from totalitarian regime to democratic civil society in the Balkans was marked with bloody ethnic conflicts. They were result of the nationalistic ideologies which predominated over the civil causes for a long time.

The sole country on the Balkans which managed its transition in peace was my motherland Republic of Bulgaria, owing to its unique ethnic model- the model of Tolerance.

Dear colleagues,

The only way to prevent the frozen conflicts of the Western Balkans  to erupt in aggression is the balanced European approach of quick integration in the frame of EU.  In this respect we definitely oppose the imposed 5 year denial of enlargement of Jean-Cluade Juncker which has heavily negative psychological effect. We should not absulitize the criteria – countries to solve their bilateral issues. The absulitization means to say to all Balkan countries that their EU membership is impossible. On the Balkans there are issues that can be solved not before but because of their membership in the EU.

The integration of the Western Balkans is not because of their political elites, not even because of their prime ministers, but because of the civil societies of those young democracies.

That is why EU should not leave Western Balkans to stay in apparent neutrality between the East and the West. In conclusion, but most importantly, the integration of the Western Balkans is the most reliable prevention against the radicalization of those young democracies.

In September MRF is to host a meeting of the liberal parties’ leaders of South-East Europe. This event will start the deliberation of a new integration concept for the countries of the region.

Thank you for your attention!

Тази публикация е достъпна и на следните езици: Bulgarian