Skopje, 11 March 2023 (MIA) - Lord Stuart Peach, the United Kingrom Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, says in an interview with MIA that all Macedonian politicians should think long and hard what is in the best interest of the country and its citizens and notes it is time for all political stakeholders help North Macedonia's European Union accession.

On the constitutionalk changes, Lord Peach says it would be unfair to the people of the country for the EU path to be delayed many years and different governments have worked hard to achieve

"This should not be viewed only as a win for the government of the day, it is a win for all previous governments, and above all for the Macedonian citizens. We acknowledge it has not been an easy road and there had been many hurdles through the years. Therefore, I urge all politicians not to let politics impact one of the most important and strategic goals since the independence of North Macedonia. A joint effort in getting North Macedonia to its well-deserved EU membership," says Peach.

He voices concerns over the recent tensions in the bilateral relations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria but is confident there remains a significant amount of good will from all involved and a solution will be found.

"North Macedonia and Bulgaria are NATO member-states, and allies, and like-minded. On the current relations, both countries need to consider the wider context and current geo-strategic maneuvering around the region. So, the UK continues to support and encourage both North Macedonia and Bulgaria to work together, to improve bilateral relations, which support North Macedonia on its path to EU accession," says Peach.

On the Bulgarian clubs in the country, the UK Special Envoy says one needs to be sensitive to the power of symbols, language and history, particularly in the context of the Western Balkans.

"We know that this region is a region where historical figures are remembered very differently by different communities. And it is therefore very important that expressions of identity do not provide further grounds for division. Freedom of assembly and expression are important but it is also important, imperative even, for us not to cause offence," says Peach.

The interview also tackles security developments after the Russian aggression in Ukraine, attempts by third parties to destabilize the region, hybrid threats...

Followwing is the full text and video of the interview.

You paid a visit to Skopje by the end of 2022. A few months later, what is your impression regarding the political situation, reforms, state of corruption, what message will you convey?

- Thank you again and nice to see you. It is crucial that North Macedonia implements reforms without delay. Even if action is taken today, it will take time for the results to be visible for the people. What is important is that concrete steps are made as soon as possible on establishing a track record on the rule of law, good governance, human rights and protection of minorities. UK supports North Macedonia’s ambitious reform agenda, including reforms that are necessary for progress towards the EU accession. Polls here show the public, the people of North Macedonia, continue to perceive corruption as a problem. The Government needs to demonstrate that they are tackling this problem. Having an independent merits-based appointment system, for example a transparent election process of key officials, including judges, anti-discrimination commissioners and senior civil servants is a good start, along with the need to increase transparency and accountability within many public institutions. UK supports North Macedonia in this work, through our programme funding to address many of these issues.

Skopje-Sofia relations have soured after series of provocations that even led to a threat from a Bulgarian politician to the Macedonian President. Bulgarian President Radev has announced a new veto for the opening of the accession chapters after the end of the screening in November. What is your assessment of the Macedonian-Bulgarian relations at this moment?

- This is not a new veto, it is maintenance of the current veto and it is important that all partners work together to support the goodneighborliness and cooperation agenda. That is a shared Euro-Atlantic future that we believe in. And of course, I am sure all the people watching agree there is more that unites the Bulgarian and the Macedonian people than divides them. Last summer, Bulgaria adopted the so-called French Proposal and announced it would remove its veto on the commencement of the negotiations for North Macedonia’s accession to the EU. The condition which was set up by President Radev is that Bulgarians are added to those minority groupings reflected in North Macedonia’s Constitution. So far, there is no majority in parliament in Skopje to fulfill this but it is important that everybody in Macedonia , the Macedonians, come together to make good on this commitment. Recent tensions in the bilateral relations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria are a concern to us, but I am confident there remains a significant amount of good will from all involved and a solution will be found. North Macedonia and Bulgaria are NATO member-states, and allies, and like-minded. On the current relations, both countries need to consider the wider context and current geo-strategic maneuvering around the region. So, the UK continues to support and encourage both North Macedonia and Bulgaria to work together, to improve bilateral relations, which support North Macedonia on its path to EU accession.

Do you consider the opening of Bulgarian clubs in North Macedonia named after historical figures, who the global history science links to fascism, to be a provocation?

- As a former chairman of the Imperial War Museum, we need to be sensitive to the power of symbols, language and history, particularly in the context of the Western Balkans. We know that this region is a region where historical figures are remembered very differently by different communities. And it is therefore very important that expressions of identity do not provide further grounds for division. Freedom of assembly and expression are important but it is also important, imperative even, for us not to cause offence, We want to see tensions reduced not increased, and it is important that all people work together to calm tensions and focus on building bridges between people, such as with the joint multidisciplinary expert commission for historical and educational issues. Your Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani recently met with representatives from organizations of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia, and both sides have pledged that their activities will be aimed at easing tensions between Skopje and Sofia. We should not underestimate, in the regional context, that those who may benefit from the dispute between North Macedonia and Bulgaria are using such provocations for their own gain and everyone in the region will be worse off.

The opposition is adamant it will not support constitutional changes that, according to the negotiating framework, are a criterion for the accession negotiations. The opposition wants early elections, the ruling authorities have a new majority but not a two-thirds one. What is your view on this?

- All Macedonian politicians should think long and hard what is in the best interest for your country and your citizens. Sadly, we continue to see a brain drain and young people continue to want to migrate abroad. Recent polling suggests citizens are disappointed and feel that North Macedonia is moving in the wrong direction. The people of North Macedonia want and deserve a better standard of living, clean air, good education, a high-class health system , regardless of which political party is in government. And it would be unfair to the people of this country for the EU path to be delayed many years and different governments have worked hard to achieve North Macedonia’s EU membership since the 2004 EU candidacy. It is time for all political stakeholders to help North Macedonia’s EU accession. This should not be viewed only as a win for the government of the day, it is a win for all previous governments, and above all for the Macedonian citizens. We acknowledge it has not been an easy road and there had been many hurdles through the years. Therefore, I urge all politicians not to let politics impact one of the most important and strategic goals since the independence of North Macedonia. A joint effort in getting North Macedonia to its well-deserved EU membership.

Mr.Peach, you attended the Munich Security Conference and briefly met with Deputy PM for European Affairs, Bojan Marichikj, sending a message that the Western Balkans must remain on the EU path but that the Union should also see the area as a priority. Is the region a priority for the EU, considering the security challenges that Europe is facing?

- That is a question for the European Union. The Western Balkans is certainly a part of the area for the UK. We cooperate very closely on a wide range of issues, on defense, with NATO partners and allies in the region, on migration with Albania, or through trade, for example, we have over 2.2 billion pounds of bilateral trade between the UK and North Macedonia.

A year of the Russian aggression in Ukraine was marked recently, and the conclusions in Munich and latest developments seem to show that the end is not near. Can the situation become worse and escalate in other countries, Moldova for example, but in the Western Balkans as well?

- Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has heightened the risk of instability in the Western Balkans. Russia uses disinformation, other tools, to make worse already existing tensions in the Western Balkans, and their aim is to cause instability, and actually prevent or stop the Euro-Atlantic integration of all the countries in the region. The UK continues to take the threat from the Russian state extremely seriously and we continue to work with all of our partners and allies and friends to bring all their capabilities to bear against adversaries who seek to undermine our collective security in the Western Balkans and elsewhere.

The region has unresolved issues that could lead to destabilization, we are witnessing attempts to solve the Belgrade-Pristina row, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are expected to meet in Skopje on March 18, hosted by PM Dimitar Kovachevski. What do you expect from the meeting and the course of negotiations in general?

- The UK welcomed progress that’s been made on the EU-led talks between Pristina and Belgrade on the agreement for the path to normalization of relations, and we do so as a basis for sustainable long-term agreement. Clearly, there is much work to do and to be done before the meeting on March 18. That meeting, and thank you to North Macedonia for hosting it, will be a key moment to make further progress. Next steps to agree an implementation plan will be crucial, with leadership and flexibility key to secure a positive outcome, and the UK continues and will continue to fully support this process.

Do open issues on the Balkans leave room for Russia or other influence in the region?

- Sadly, they do. Russian influence threatens the whole international system and aims, as I’ve said earlier to stop or delay or hamper the Euro-Atlantic integration of the countries of the Western Balkans and elsewhere. Russia’s illegal, continued and unprovoked assault on Ukraine has now made it absolutely critical for Western Balkans to be supported and progress democratic reforms and demonstrate unity.

One of the main topics at the Munich Security Conference was hybrid threats. In your interview with MIA while in the capacity of NATO Military Committee chair you said propaganda is not destroyed with propaganda but facts. How can countries cope amid this influx of hybrids threats?

- Since we last met and I conducted the interview, the challenge of hybrid attacks has got worse. All NATO allies face threats and challenges from state and non state actors. Hybrid activities are now used to target political institutions to influence public opinion and to undermine our security and you see examples of this every day in your country and my country. Therefore, countries must strengthen their national resilience, their awareness and improve their ability to understand the hybrid threat picture, to counter disinformation, to discuss new and emerging forms of hybrid warfare, work together and take measures to improve our resilience.

How is the United Kingdom handling hybrid threats?

- The UK has recognized this threat for many years. And I’ve been working on it for a long time. As the threat grows, we continue to evolve our response in both complexity and globally. And we need all of us to adapt our response and to grow it. It should be united, transparent, respect rights, but ensure that we’re aligned and mutually reinforce each other. And I’ll give you some, four examples – we could and should exchange knowledge through open source intelligence analysis, to monitor and expose hostile information, how they conduct these operations, how new tactics emerge, all those activities undermine our democracies and cause real world harm. We also conduct strategic communication campaigns to counter disinformation with one voice, collective voice. We make joint representation to communication service providers to understand and enhance the effectiveness of interventions, to counter disinformation online and we discussed this recently in the House of Lords, we need to bring together existing initiatives such as the UK online safety bill and the EU Code of Conduct. In addition, we continue to coordinate donations for effective funding of initiatives to understand and expose the disinformation threat and support independent media.

Ana Cvetkovska

Photo: Frosina Naskovikj

Video: Asllan Vishko