BULGARIA TO SUPPORT MACEDONIA’S EU AND NATO ACCESSION

09:31 Mon 06 Nov 2006

Bulgaria would support Macedonia in its attempts to become NATO and European Union member, Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin said.

International Herald Tribune (IHT) quoted Kalfin as saying that he hoped Macedonia would be invited to join NATO in 2008. Macedonia’s NATO accession was important both for Bulgaria and for the whole region, Kalfin said after a meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Antonio Milososki.

Kalfin also said that as an EU member state Bulgaria would support future EU enlargement.

“Bulgaria's position is that the enlargement is the most successful European project in the past decade," Kalfin said.

After the European Commission’s decision to let Bulgaria and Romania join the EU on January 1 2007, EC President Jose Manuel Barroso called for halt in the enlargement process.

Such decision would lead only a ‘distant chance” for Balkan countries such as Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania to enter the union, IHT said.

Bulgaria would impose a visa regime for the Macedonian citizens after January 1 2007, but “thanks to Bulgaria's decision to issue visas charge-free, mutual travel and communications will not suffer that much", Milososki said.

Comments

Comments by Cornelius Krissilas - 18:26 06 Nov 2006
	Socalled "Macedonia" should not be part of EU untill it changes its name.Macedonia is a Province in North Greece and it comprises 90pper centof the Ancient Hellenic Kingdom of Macedonia.Socalled "Macedonia"comprises part of ancient Macedonia part of Albania and part of Serbia and part of Bulgaria.The majotity fo inhabitants are Bulgarian speaking.Sothis "Macedonia"should be united with Bulgaria and form one Country again.
Comments by Cornelius Krissilas - 23:01 06 Nov 2006
	...and more.The National Geografic makes it very clearly:Those who call themselves Macedonians from the Former Yugoslavia,they adopt the name Macedonians from the Ancient Northen Greek Kingdom of Macedonia but they Slavs Bulgarians or Serbs who came down to Ancient Macedonia 500 years after Christ.
Comments by Cornelius Krissilas - 23:17 06 Nov 2006
	...and still more.Since these people have been living in that ancient territory, region of Macedonia for Centuries thay call themselves Macedonians to distinguish themselves from the Slavs of other lands like Bugarians Serbs Russians and so on.But they are not Macedonians like the ancient Macedonians who were of Greek Culture and Language and they took part in the Ancient All Greek Olympic Games.Since the majority speak Bulgarian with local variation they should unite with Bulgaria and form one Nation so that they do not confuse themselves with the Ancient Macedonians.They should hold a Referendum to decide about it.