Slowing down the Balkans' EU integration creates room for potential conflicts. If problems are tied to a territory, a conflict emerges. If EU opens its space, the problem of borders is overcome since they would disappear, stressed Saturday President Gjorge Ivanov at the session on Security and Stability in Southeastern Europe and the Caucasus, held in the framework of the 49. Munich Security Conference.
According to Ivanov, if EU has enlargement fatigue, then the Balkan youth is tired of waiting.
"If certain standards and principles are valid for the EU founders, then they should also be valid for future members. Rules cannot change during the game. That is why we are hurt by the fact that rules valid for other countries do not concern us, since there are additional criteria for Macedonia", stressed Ivanov.
He emphasized that NATO has made Macedonia a Guinness candidate, since the country has already produced 14 Membership Action Plans, along with 18 rotations of Afghanistan peacekeepers, adding that the country shares the same commitments and risks as other members, but without any privileges.
"That is why we are dissatisfied from NATO. EU has found a way to be innovative and creative by opening the high-level accession dialogue. We would be overjoyed if NATO demonstrated such creativity", said Ivanov.
He added that if politicians cannot enable the countries' EU accession, young generations are already doing this through the social networks, not territorially.
"Peace is possible on the Balkans and it is good that EU received the Nobel Peace Prize in order to remind young generations that the Union is primarily a peace project, and then political and economic", underlined President Gjorge Ivanov.
