Before the official start of the NATO Summit in The Hague, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova answered journalists’ questions.
Question: President, how was the dinner?
President Siljanovska-Davkova: The dinner went quite well. The persons attending the dinner were intelligent, interesting. We discussed serious issues, first of all about peace and of course unity, which is so necessary to reach a final, as I say Kantian, lasting peace.
Question: Will there be unity, the Summit is characterized as historic?
President Siljanovska-Davkova: Indeed, I cannot predict the things, but what I saw yesterday guarantees, of course through debate, that we will reach unity.
Question: How do you comment on the adoption of the report in the European Parliament? It should be adopted in the plenary session, but yesterday Weitz’s report was passed. Those amendments that were submitted by Bulgarian MEPs are not part of it now, but they announce new ones and putting the epithet “modern” before the Macedonian language?
President Siljanovska-Davkova: First of all, as a professor I do not know what modern means. There are no pre-modern, modern, post-modern nations and languages. All nations emerged in the second half of the 18th century and in the 19th century, including ours. I was really surprised by the profile, or by the character of the submitted amendments, because to submit amendments related to identity issues, and they are an ad acta for discussion, because both the EU Treaty and the Lisbon Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights guarantee respect for national and cultural identity, linguistic diversity, as well. So those issues are not discussed. I expected, as I already said, to happen what it really happened. I expect understanding from our first neighbors, a truly friendly relationship, and I think that will happen.
Question: Is there no understanding for a meeting between the two delegations?
President Siljanovska-Davkova: You say delegations, but I had a pleasant, protocol, friendly conversation with the Bulgarian Prime Minister yesterday, before the dinner.
Question: What did you talk about?
President Siljanovska-Davkova: About the need for mutual understanding, without mediation, about the need to respect each other, about the need to follow the spirit of the two peoples, about the need to help, about the need for those who are already inside to help those who are moving towards the European Union. I choose my words; I believe we need friendship. I believe that it will happen and I think that it is something inevitable.
Thank you.
