BRUSSELS 11.05.2015. – Following the violent events of this weekend in Kumanovo, Members of the European Parliament Ivo Vajgl, Richard Howitt and Eduard Kukan issued a joint statement:
“We are deeply concerned about events which took place in Kumanovo this weekend. We condemn all acts of violence against public order and attempts to destabilize the situation in the country.
We would like to offer our deep condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives this weekend. These events need to be properly and transparently investigated in accordance with rule of law. We would also like to appeal to the Macedonian public not to allow further escalation of tensions.
We call on political leaders of the country to act responsibly and restrain from actions or statements which might undermine the stability in the country. We once again reiterate that all accusations of wrongdoings which were made public should be thoroughly investigated and those found responsible should be held accountable for their actions, in full respect of the principles of transparency, impartiality and presumption of innocence.
We also urge our political partners to resume their responsibilities and step up their efforts to seriously engage in a political dialogue at the highest level in order to solve the political crisis in the country. We are ready to continue to provide our support and facilitation of dialogue, which would to lead to de-escalation of the political tensions and address deficiencies in the political system in Macedonia. It is our common interest to see Macedonia back on the track of the Euro-Atlantic integration.”