"EU's decision is a disaster"
"The EU’s recent decision not to open accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania is a disaster"
Source: Tanjug
Wolfgang Ischinger is a Chairman of the Munich Security Conference and German diplomat with extensive experience.
"The political costs of this decision are already evident: North Macedonia faces a political crisis and — not inconceivably —long-term destabilization. Other Western Balkan states will conclude: You cannot rely on the EU, and even if we engage in difficult reforms, we will remain second-class Europeans", Ischinger stated for "Politico".
He considers that the void the EU has torn open will not remain unfilled: "Others — Russia, China, and Turkey in particular — will be eager to fill it".
"It is highly unlikely that this will serve the greater goal of democracy, peace and stability in the EU’s immediate neighborhood", German diplomat said and daily "Blic" carried out.
He regards as the greatest stumbling block on the path towards a durable Euro-Atlantic security order the following fact: "the dismal state of relations with Russia".
"It is a pity that the vision of a 'Common European Home', as expressed by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, never materialized — a home to all including Russia. Quite the contrary: With Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and its intervention in Eastern Ukraine, this prospect has dimmed even further", Ischinger concluded.
