(Washington Insider Magazine) -United Macedonian Diaspora President Meto Koloski tells Transatlantic Today that North Macedonia has been a key ally to NATO before joining the collective security organization. This led to the country agreeing to temporarily house up to 1,800 Afghans for up to 90 days while waiting for visas to the United States. He noted that 3,000 Macedonian troops contributed to the NATO-led ISAF Mission in Afghanistan. He added that while Bulgaria was the first country to recognize independence, it continues to block Skopje from formally opening EU accession talks. He highlighted that the recent Euro 2020 soccer tournament brought Macedonians together more than ever before.
Transatlantic Today (TT): Last week, the government in North Macedonia joined neighboring countries in announcing that it would temporarily accept 450 Afghans fleeing from Taliban rule in hopes of receiving visas to the United States. What motivated Skopje to make such a move and how does it change the relationship between Skopje and Washington?
Meto Koloski (MK): Macedonia has a history of giving refuge to those escaping conflict and wars – it welcomed tens of thousands of Macedonians fleeing the Greek Civil War 1944-1948; during the wars of the 1990s, Macedonia welcomed Bosnian refugees, and approximately 400,000 Kosovar refugees, which was a quarter of the Macedonian population at the time. During the migrant/refugee crisis of 2014-15, over a million refugees passed through Macedonia.
While it took a long time, including a painful name change to appease Greece, Macedonia became the 30th NATO member – finally with a seat at the table. Macedonia has always stood by the United States in all U.S.-led initiatives and policies around the world. Based on Macedonia’s geographical location the importance of the strategic relationship between the US and Macedonia cannot be overstated. In 2008, the U.S. and Macedonia signed a strategic partnership agreement.
According to media reports, up to 1,800 Afghan refugees (officially as of today (Aug. 26) 780 Afghans) will be housed temporarily in Macedonia for up to 90 days and the U.S. will cover the expenses so that there is no financial burden upon Macedonian institutions. This is important given Macedonia’s debt is now 51.25% of its GDP. COVID-19 took a serious toll on the country’s economy, coupled with the lowest number of FDI in the region for several years now.
TT: Before joining NATO in 2020, North Macedonia has participated in multiple NATO-led missions including the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan starting in 2002. With the withdrawal of troops, including U.S. and Macedonian, how would you describe N. Macedonia’s legacy in the Afghan war?
MK: Macedonia could protect the tent of NATO but couldn’t sleep in it. This was a reference by former Michigan Congresswoman Candice Miller when referencing how Macedonia was kept out of NATO by Greece. I recall when 9/11 happened that the now late Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski called President Bush, and stated, “An attack on America, is an attack on Macedonia,” and pledged to do what it could to help America. This included sending troops to Afghanistan to join our ISAF Mission, and at one time, Macedonian troops, which were the 4th largest per capita troop contributors, patrolled the ISAF Headquarters in Kabul. According to NATO, Macedonia continued “supporting the follow-on Resolute Support mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces.”
During our Macedonia in NATO advocacy meetings on the Hill, members of Congress who had been to Kabul, and the ISAF compound, would mention meeting the Macedonian troops and they were the first ones to welcome them to the compound.
Over 3,000 Macedonian troops served in Afghanistan – this takes dedication, bravery, and professionalism – I thank them for their service alongside our own troops.
TT: For over a year, Bulgaria has blocked the opening of EU accession talks for N. Macedonia over historical figures and language/identity. Meanwhile, Bulgarians may be set to go for the third parliamentary elections after a coalition was not able to have been formed. When do you predict a solution to this crisis?
MK: Unfortunately, what Bulgaria is doing is not only ultra-nationalist internal dynamics. The President of Bulgaria is a Social Democrat, and he is just as vocal as former PM, Borissov, and the entire Bulgarian parliament across parties passed a resolution demanding the history/identity/language issues. It seems to be a convenient thing for Bulgaria’s political elites to distract the populace with inflammatory positions on Macedonia’s EU accession as they flail about unable to form a governing coalition. Bulgaria also seems at a loss as to how to cope with a resurgence of COVID-19. It may well be that politicians find it more appealing to point at an external issue.
I cannot predict a timeframe, but what I can say is that Bulgaria should do the following:
- Recognize that Macedonians have a right to their own self-determination, and the Macedonian language.
- Acknowledge and apologize to the Macedonian people for their occupation of Macedonia during World War II, which saw over 25,000 Macedonians killed, and 98% of the Macedonian Jewish community sent to their deaths in Treblinka.
- Recognize the existence of a Macedonian minority within Bulgaria and implement the 16 judgments from the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled Bulgaria is in violation of basic human rights and freedom of assembly of their Macedonian minority.
Bulgaria was the first country to recognize the independence of Macedonia, and today is the country preventing Macedonia from joining the European Union. Bulgarian leadership has spewed anti-Macedonian rhetoric for decades, and most recently, have even gone as far as harboring territorial aspirations on Macedonia. This is not how a NATO member should act towards another NATO member.
TT: Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia announced the Open Balkans Initiative, a renaming of the Mini-Schengen Area, in a bid to increase trade and cooperation, and freedom of movement between the countries. Not all the countries in the Western Balkans agree with the initiative, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro. How do you envision the Open Balkans operating for the three countries? What do you think would be necessary to convince the three non-members to join?
MK: We, at UMD, have been in opposition to the Mini-Schengen plan by Rama, Vucic, and Zaev, which is now known as the Open Balkans Initiative. The countries of the region already have free movement of peoples and goods and have free trade agreements with each other and with the EU through the Central European Free Trade Agreement. Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro are members of the World Trade Organization, while Serbia and Bosnia are still negotiating their membership. There is also the South-East European Cooperation Process, Stability Pact, Southeast European Cooperative Initiative, and the Central European Initiative, which all of these countries are part of. Why recreate the wheel?
The EU is the leading trade partner of the Western Balkans, and the Open Balkans Initiative seems to be a creative, nice on paper, substitute for the lack of movement to integrate the Western Balkans into the EU – essentially a substitute to the Stabilization and Association Process. Montenegro has openly stated they will not join, as has Kosovo.
In my opinion, this only further confuses the public of their own government’s intentions to join the EU and their commitment to this process. The EU also has a serious problem on its hands, by allowing the EU enlargement process to be held hostage by one member-state over history, identity, and language, which is contrary to what the EU stands for.
TT: Experts claim that brain drain is a serious issue for the Western Balkans. Why is it that young people are moving away from the region and what can be done to limit this?
MK: Kleptocracy, clientelism, corruption, lifestyle, economic opportunities, and growth. I can list out many reasons. The Western Balkans has seen a huge brain drain, and none of these countries have a real concrete plan to turn this into brain gain. The best and brightest are leaving, not just because they can find jobs elsewhere, but because of the lifestyle. Most job opportunities in the Western Balkans are connected to what political party you belong to. For example, in Macedonia, the government is the largest employer in the country. The region needs a complete shift in mindset. This means, improving the education system, giving teachers and professors more tools and resources, creating public-private partnerships, expanding volunteerism/internship opportunities to build skillsets. Most of the leadership in the Western Balkans does not have a 10-year, 20-year plan for their countries – may be because governments change frequently due to elections, they only care for the present moment – but if you look at the political scene – a lot of the players currently are the same as a decade ago. Not much has changed. You need a constant turnaround of ideas and people. This is where the Diaspora comes into play, and how harnessing their power can truly benefit the Western Balkan societies.
As Macedonia marks its 30th anniversary since independence this September 8th, I encourage the country’s policymakers to reflect on the accomplishments but also the pitfalls and have an honest conversation about where they want the country to be 10, 20, 30 years from now.
TT: Macedonians rejoiced this year as it was the first time the country made its first major international soccer tournament, Euro 2020 with 38-year-old journeyman Goran Pandev scoring. What did making this tournament mean for Macedonians in the world of sports diplomacy?
MK: Euro 2020 united and brought Macedonians together like never before, even though the team lost all three matches. The fact that Macedonia made it this far is a true accomplishment. The match showcased Macedonia, its people, tourism, and the overall media coverage further put the country on the world map.
Seeing the videos of Macedonians celebrating on the streets of Bucharest, Romania – a city where the Treaty of Bucharest was signed in 1913, which saw the division of geographic Macedonia putting Macedonians on different sides of several borders – was emotional for all of us of Macedonian heritage. Side note: Romania is one of the few European Union members that recognizes its Macedonian minority and allows full Macedonian linguistic and heritage promotion for the community in the country.
Macedonia has a huge potential in the field of sports, particularly, handball, basketball, and soccer. The country needs to invest more in this potential. Fingers crossed for the World Cup Qualifiers next month – Go Team Macedonia!
Meto Koloski is a globally recognized human rights and religious freedom advocate with nearly two decades of experience working in Washington, D.C. He serves as the President of the United Macedonian Diaspora, co-chairs the Southeast Europe Coalition, sits on the boards of the American Alliance for Automotive Corporate Social Responsibility and the Macedonian Language E-Learning Center and is a member of the Foreign Policy for America Leadership Circle, and the International Religious Freedom Roundtable Congressional Working Group.