Skopje’s compliance with the Greece-FYROM naming accord is the key to FYROM’s accession to the EU and Nato, according to the German Minister of State for Europe, Michael Roth.
“I can only call on leaders in Skopje to assume their historic responsibilities. Perhaps everyone does not know what is at stake. I can understand how painful this compromise may be for some people, but it is the key that opens the door to the EU and Nato,” Roth told Deutsche Welle in an interview. “It is the key that opens the door to lasting peace and reconciliation in the region, and I think that most people in the region have understood that.”
“Obviously, we also must understand that the Balkans deserve greater attention, because stability and democracy in the region must be among the priorities of the EU, and there should not be a political vacuum in that area,” Roth said.
Regarding the start of the accession negotiations of FYROM and Albania, Roth said that the two countries have taken significant steps and reforms in that direction, and they should be proud, but there is much more that needs to be done.
