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17 May 2012

Turkey Defines Obstacles before Macedonia's NATO Membership as Unjust

Turkish parliament speaker defined on Thursday obstacles put before Macedonia's NATO membership as unjust.

Cemil Cicek said Turkey's support to Macedonia's NATO membership was obvious, and it would maintain its determination to back the country's membership.

"We have no hesitations about Macedonia's NATO membership. We think it is a rightful and correct demand," Cicek told a joint press conference with his Macedonian counterpart Trajko Veljanovski in Skopje.

Cicek said Turkey supported Macedonia's reforms and efforts on road to the European Union (EU), and noted that Turkey did not think obstacles before Macedonia's NATO membership were right and just.

"Macedonia's demand is right and just, and we think it will contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans," Cicek said.

Cicek said peace, order and stability in the Balkans were for the best interests of every one.

Veljanovski, in his part, underlined importance of Turkey's support for his country's NATO membership.

Parliament Speaker Cicek later met members of Macedonian-Turkish Friendship Group, and attended a luncheon hosted in his honor by Veljanovski.

Macedonia has, like Albania and Croatia, been participating in the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for a number of years to prepare for possible membership.

Last week, Macedonia's prime minister urged NATO members to give his country another chance to join the alliance at its summit in Chicago later this month. The alliance rejected Macedonia's previous bid in 2008, following objections from neighboring Greece.

Athens has a dispute with Skopje over Macedonia's name, which Greece claims could imply claims on its own northern province also called Macedonia. Under a 1995 bilateral agreement, Greece had agreed not to block Macedonia's membership in international organizations if it used the name "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)."

Turkey recognizes Macedonia by its own constitutional name, "Republic of Macedonia".

Macedonia has been friendly to NATO since its independence, allowing US troops to use its territory as a staging ground during the Yugoslav wars.