The President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, spoke about her country's path to EU membership at one of the first discussions at the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya, which opens today.
Without specifically mentioning Bulgaria, Siljanovska-Davkova spoke about the Copenhagen criteria and the veto exercised by some member states.
„As you know, there are the so-called Copenhagen criteria. Yes, they were approved in 1993 and I respect them very much because they start with topics arising from the war and end with democracy, the separation of powers, human rights and freedoms, including the rights of minorities. But if the members of the European Union apply some new standards and criteria, imagine reacting with a veto to candidate countries if they are not ready to compromise on history, culture, and even language? In the 21st century, negotiating about history, culture, and language is not good“, said Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
She stressed that the basic documents of the European Union, as well as those of the UN, guarantee the right to self-determination of every nation, its right to its own history and culture.
“How can you negotiate about this? This must be ruled out. We must build institutions based on rules. Institutions in which people with dignity and integrity solve such important problems“, said the President of the Republic of North Macedonia.
She stressed that her country's membership in the European Union is also a security issue, and opposed the division of the Balkans into Eastern and Western. During the discussion, she identified authoritarianism, disinformation, and rising arms spending as some of the most worrying trends in the world.