Brussels, 16/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - Concerned about the post-election climate in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle has urged FYROM President Gjorge Ivanov - who was re-elected on 27 April - to reach out to “all parties and citizens”. Füle stressed the importance of constructive dialogue, engaging all parties, in the interest of the country.
At the end of a meeting with Ivanov, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy stated that the two leaders agreed that “dialogue and cooperation across all political parties have to be fostered”. “An inclusive democratic process is of utmost importance to ensure further stability and progress”, he added. Van Rompuy welcomed Ivanov's calls to overcome party and personal interests. “I encouraged him to reach out to all communities and all ethnicities in the spirit of the Ohrid Framework Agreement”, he said.
The VMRO-DPMNE nationalists won the parliamentary election (43% of the votes) and the presidential election by a wide majority, but the Social-Democrat opposition (23% of the votes) claimed election fraud and did not recognise the elections as valid.
Van Rompuy and Füle reiterated the criticism about the biased media coverage and the lack of separation between state and party activities. “A vibrant civil society and free and independent media are great assets in any country”, said Van Rompuy, noting the “efficient administration of the elections”.
While FYROM has made “substantive progress” in implementing important reforms, progress remains to be made on judicial reforms and media freedom, Van Rompuy stated.
Füle urged Ivanov to attach “particular importance” to resolution of the name issue of “Macedonia” with Greece. “A spirit of compromise and flexibility is needed in order to find a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution to the name issue”, Van Rompuy stated. “Even difficult issues can be tackled if there is political will”, he stressed. Füle welcomed recent progress on relations with Bulgaria.
Difficult neighbourly relations are one of the reasons why the accession negotiations have not opened with Skopje, which has been a candidate since December 2005.
Füle and Ivanov expressed their intention to meet soon to continue this discussion as “many questions and challenges need to be addressed”. (CG)