Description of a false statement: THE FORCED ENTRY OF NORTH MACEDONIA IN NATO BY THE WEST WILL NOT CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE SECURITY AND STABILITY OF THE BALKANS
Оригинален наслов на статијата: MASLOV: THE NATO MEMBERSHIP OF NORTH MACEDONIA WILL NOT CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE SECURITY AND STABILITY OF THE BALKANS
„The solving of the old name issue has opened the way for the forced integration of North Macedonia in NATO. This course will not contribute towards the security and stability of the Balkans.” This is the text which was published by the Macedonian media, calling upon the interview of the Russian ambassador Andrej Maslov for the Greek TV channel ERT.This is only a continuation of the 2018 scenario and the Russian theses: “The West wants to force Macedonia in NATO” and “The entry of North Macedonia in NATO will destabilize the Balkan”.
Link to the interview: ЕРТ
Publications in the Macedonian media: МИА, ОПСЕРВЕР, 24инфо, Плусинфо, Денешен, Журнал, МКД, А1он, Охрид Скај, Либертас, Инфомакс, Прес 24
Greek media: катимерини, прототема
The road of North Macedonia in NATO remains a hurdle upon which Russia is constantly stumbling upon. In every possible way Kremlin seeks to show its concern about the Balkans, focusing its attention on our country.
In the interview for the Greek TV channel ERT, given on 8 May 2019, the Russian ambassador in Greece, Andrej Maslov, emphasizes that “the forced integration of North Macedonia in NATO will not contribute towards the security and stability of the Balkans.” This is a spin.
In this case, the Russian propaganda for the road of North Macedonia in NATO and the effect from its membership on the Balkans is not created by the media, but by the interview of the Russian ambassador in Greece in which a tendentious spin is placed which emphasizes the peace in the Balkans, and claims that the entry of North Macedonia in NATO will not bring it, despite the forcing by the West.
It is a fact that the NATO membership of North Macedonia has been one of the strategic goals of all governments until now. The Republic of North Macedonia will become the 30th member of NATO. The NATO membership guarantees security in the first place, but also provides opportunities for economic development and prevention of corruption which has the potential to undermine the civil society.
The entry of the Republic of North Macedonia in NATO may direct the whole region towards that goal, which will enable the Balkans to become strong and united as a significant part of the EU. The Accession Protocol for the entry of North Macedonia in NATO was signed by the NATO member states on 6 February 2019.
One of the important principles that every aspiring member of NATO should adhere to is the respect of the territorial sovereignty of the other countries. In the past, NATO has played important part in resolving the issues problems between its members and preventing of escalation of the situation, such as: the Hungarian-Romanian dispute, the Hungarian-Slovakian dispute, the Hungarian-Ukrainian dispute, the Greek-Turkish disputes for procurement and installing of the Russian С-300 rocket system and the governing of the islands Imia/Kardak etc.
On the other hand, in the past the Warsaw Pact invaded and occupied former Czechoslovakia, while in the early 90’s Russia attacked Lithuania, Latvia, Chechnya, did not recognize the independence of Kosovo and threatened to veto the plan for independence of Kosovo in the UN Security Council, the Red Army attacked Georgia and annexed Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Crimea in Ukraine.
As a conclusion, the NATO membership is a factor of stability in the region, as it can be seen from all examples mentioned above.
