SETimes.comElenovski: Macedonia has proved itself an "equal partner"
01/04/2008
By contributing to peacekeeping missions abroad and implementing necessary reforms at home, Macedonia has proven its dedication to NATO's goals, Defence Minister Lazar Elenovski tells Southeast European Times correspondent Goran Trajkov.
By Goran Trajkov for Southeast European Times in Skopje - 01/04/08
Southeast European Times: What are the chances for Macedonian NATO membership and what roles will Macedonia play after it becomes a member?
Defence Minister Lazar Elenovski: With the achieved results in all areas of social life, especially in the segment of the military reforms and participation in peace missions, the Republic of Macedonia has proved that it is an equal partner that can successfully cope with the challenges of today and defend the interests of the Alliance. To us, this is a benefit to civilisation, for which our country has been working intensively for 15 years.
By the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, the progress in the economy, defence, and other segments, as well as the fulfillment of the tasks from the Membership Action Plans, we have demonstrated a rapid assumption of the responsibilities and the maximum dedication by our country towards NATO's goals. Thus, after nine cycles we can say that the Republic of Macedonia met the basic general criteria for the extension of the membership invitation.
Moreover, as part of the region, especially with our partners Albania and Croatia, we have demonstrated that we are working for change, to which we have contributed a lot. Ten years ago this region was one of destruction and bloodshed, prejudice and taboo. Today it is a region where all the peoples have the same goal, that is, the Euro-Atlantic integration.
Today, the Republic of Macedonia, together with Albania and Croatia, as part of the Adriatic Charter, are regional promoters whose obligation is to continue assisting the other countries in their path, until the entire integration process is finalised, as an end goal. The progress that has undoubtedly been noted by our allies in the Alliance, and beyond, is mostly in our contribution to the world peace and security. In this respect, I am referring to the contribution our country is providing in the peace operations. The Republic of Macedonia is currently participating in four peace missions with its largest contingent in the ISAF mission, which is a NATO-led operation in Afghanistan.
We demonstrate a high level of deployment -- about 3% deployment of our land forces, a figure that is a truly big percentage for a good many countries in the Alliance itself. We believe, however, that this is our obligation as a country equal to the rest of our partners. We are not talking about a small country in the big Alliance. We are talking about an equal assumption of the obligations, together with the rest of the countries in the Alliance. We are doing it now as a candidate, and we will continue to do it as a member.
SETimes: Has Macedonia fulfilled all the criteria for NATO membership?
Elenovski: We are talking about the NATO Alliance which is founded on certain values. It is an organisation where the basic criterion is the performance of the society and the country or better yet a performance-based organisation. In that respect, Macedonia has met the basic criteria. We are aware that every transformation and every reform is not a path that comes to an end; it is a path that continues. Macedonia is deeply aware that what has been done is truly significant and that it is a huge progress that reflects the fulfillment of the basic criteria. Hence, we as a country continue to build our reforms and strategic interest as part of the wide democratic community.
SETimes: Is Macedonia able to successfully avoid a Greek veto?
Elenovski: The question of the Greek veto has unfortunately intensified and it is experiencing its culmination at the moment. As we have said before, keeping in mind that the NATO Alliance is based on values and performances, the Greek veto regarding the name issue simply does not coincide with the spirit of the Alliance and that for which it stands. The majority of the representatives of other member states found that the issue is a bilateral political one, and its place is not in NATO but in the UN, where the negotiations process has been initiated by the UN mediator, Matthew Nimetz. I believe that the Greek veto is a typical instrument of the Cold War, but in the new NATO. This is simply not the solution. I hope that not only Macedonia, but primarily our allies and those who are in favour of the Alliance and the region, will manage to find an optimistic solution. We believe that the found solution should be such as not to threaten the future integration of the region of all three countries.
SETimes: What is the impact of Kosovo independence on regional stability, particularly in Macedonia?
Elenovski: As you know, Macedonia officially accepted Ahtisaari's plan. We thought that that was a good solution and, above all, a democratic and a visionary solution for the further integration of the region. I will underline once again that the final goal and interest for us is the integration of the entire region in the NATO Alliance and the EU. Hence, Ahtisaari's plan was acceptable for us. Now, it is crucial for the citizens and the democratic society in Kosovo to enter a phase of an accelerated implementation of the plan, thus proving themselves and winning the trust and respect of the international community in building a modern and democratic society. It is very important to continue with the fast implementation for the exact reasons you yourself underlined in your question, and that is the security of the region. This is one of the two issues the Alliance itself underlined as priorities in 2008 -- the finale of the Kosovo issue and the extension of the three invitations for the countries from the Adriatic Charter. As we can see, there were no larger security risks from the proclamation of the independence thus far. On the other hand, we should know that 16,000 NATO, KFOR troops are present in Kosovo, thus guaranteeing the security and the stability of the country. Now, it is very important not only for the other countries, but especially for the Republic of Serbia, to continue walking on the path towards the Euro-Atlantic integration, since all the countries and peoples in the region belong to Europe and are Europeans. This would be the true solution to the final integration of the region.