SKOPJE – The demonstrations organized in Macedonia are a not so welcoming weapon in the hands of democracy, said MEP Ivo Vajgl in an interview with Nova TV after his visit to Skopje, Meta reports.
“The focus of this polemic response to the situation is increasingly moving towards an inter-ethnic conflict”, said Vajgl.
Regarding President Gjorge Ivanov’s decision not to meet with Commissioner Johannes Hahn and the other three MEPs Eduard Kukan and Knut Fleckenstein, because he returned late to Macedonia, Vajgl says they were in Macedonia long enough, and if Ivanov really wanted to meet with them, he would have.
“He obviously did not want to meet us. I read his message, that he had said everything he needs to say, so now let the people talk. That message can not be understood, except as a call to the people to come out onto the streets and I think it is a very irresponsible call”, said Vajgl.
When asked why he and his colleagues would not meet with representatives from the initiative “For a United Macedonia” and journalists from “Nova Television”, Vajgl said that he is always ready to talk and that he did have an ad hoc meeting with them, but they were not ready for talks.
Vajgl said that the situation needs to be calm before they can sit down and hold talks.
If the crisis is not resolved, Vajgl said they will have to initiate a debate in European Parliament to determine what the position is on Macedonia and the country’s politics and Macedonian nationals.
“There will be no vote on the report. This could be interpreted as a warning or some kind of sanction. Obviously the EU has other instruments, starting from the financial kind. If the crisis continues, and if it leads to serious repercussions, from instability in the region and in Macedonia, we will have to discuss other steps”, said Vajgl.