FM Poposki brushes off BaBenelux/Greater Albania suggestion 'groundless'
Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki said at a press briefing on Monday that the idea for a Balkan Benelux is groundless considering the fact that the EU integration process of the region is in an advanced stage.
Macedonia shouldn’t confine its economic cooperation only with Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro, but needs to focus on benefits stemming from the cooperation with many other countries.
“From today’s point of view, the idea for Balkan Benelux is groundless. Firstly, the EU integration is in an advanced stage. When it comes to movement of people, precisely with two of the three countries, citizens are able to cross borders only with IDs, while efforts are being made to enable this with the third country. In relation to flow of goods, there is an excellent framework – CEFTA (Central European Free Trade Agreement) - offering integration into a single market,” Poposki said.
He noted that the same level of integration that had been achieved with these three markets, had been also achieved with Serbia and indirectly as an EU candidate country with Bulgaria and Greece and BiH and Croatia. “It would be illogical to confine Macedonia in a small circle, when we have the same benefits within a larger circle.”
“In principle, Macedonia favours any kind of integration, because we see all countries in the region as being part of the European family. What is important is that we do it in the same manner and approach towards all regional countries without limiting to two, three or four countries,” said the FM.
Minister Poposki added that the only political context, which was relevant for countries in the region “is the perspective for EU integration and all regional initiatives should be considered through that prism.”
“Macedonia has strategic interests to bolster the integration process at political and economic plan. I don’t see why we would limit ourselves to several, if we can integrate politically into a bigger family that is offering more opportunities,” FM Nikola Poposki concluded.
http://kurir.mk/en/2012/07/10/the-id...-says-poposki/
