Dr. Suver delivered an intervention during the conference about the importance of Macedonia's NATO Membership. Text of the intervention can be found at the end of this page.
In the above picture you can see Dr. Suver, together with Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Antonio Milososki and H.E. Zhelyu Zhelev, the President of the Balkan Political Club.
Dr. Akkan Suver was received by H.E. Nikola Gruevski, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia. In the aobve picture you can see them before the meeting.
Address by
Hon. Dr. Akkan Suver, President
of the Marmara Foundation
February 20-21, 2009
Conference of the Balkan
Political Club
Ohrid – Macedonia
On behalf of the Marmara
Foundation, I would like to
express my heartfelt greetings
to all distinguished
personalities attending this
important conference.
Today I will share my opinions
with you about the NATO concept
in the city of Ohrid in
Macedonia where is an
indispensable country in the
Balkans, as well as the main
factor of the Adriatic triad.
I will approach to the relation
between Macedonia and the NATO
taking all its dimensions into
consideration, such as national
securities of the Balkan states,
economic power and prosperity in
the Balkans; instead of
considering it as a simple
situation: a country’s
membership to an international
organization.
As we all know, Macedonia has
not yet in the place it deserves
in the Balkans; because of the
naming dispute created by
Greece.
This naming problem of Macedonia
where is called as the “Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
by Greece in the light of their
concerns on their territorial
integrity and national security,
is not related to us.
Because we officially recognized
this country as the "Republic of
Macedonia".
Together with Turkey, more than
120 different countries
including the United States, the
People’s Republic of China and
the Russian Federation also
recognized the country as the
Republic of Macedonia.
But Greece is still insisting on
the name “Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia”.
And because of this insistence;
Macedonia’s possible membership
to the NATO is blocked by
Greece. The other two Balkan
states, Albania and Croatia,
received the official
invitations to join the NATO;
but Greece opposed the
membership of Macedonia during
the NATO Summit which was held
in Bucharest on April, 2008.
Consequently Macedonia did not
receive the NATO invitation
because of the Greek opposition
during the Summit.
At this point, I would like to
touch upon the importance of
Macedonia’s membership in terms
of the future of the Balkans.
I am also an inhabitant of the
Balkans; like a majority number
of personalities present in this
conference, is from the Balkan
states.
As we all know very well, the
first thoughts on the Balkans in
history have been different
religions, multi-ethnicities,
many wars, conflicts and
migrations.
The Balkan Political Club in
which I have always had the
honour to be a member of it, was
established to stop these wars,
conflicts and migrations, as
well as for a peaceful
coexistence of people who
believe in different religions
and has different ethnicities in
the region.
In this conference of the Balkan
Political Club which was
established to europeanize the
Balkan states in terms of
securing peace, justice and
improvement in the region; I
would like to underline that
Macedonia has to become a part
of the European integration like
Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and
Turkey, since it is an absolute
fact that all the Balkan States
are inseparable parts and
parcels of Europe.
Consequently I consider
Macedonia’s membership to the
NATO as a sharing of peace,
prosperity and security in
accordance with democracy.
Peace in the Balkans is our
ideal.
It is only possible to secure
permanent peace and stability in
the Balkans, covering the whole
political, economic and security
issues of the region together
with all the Balkan States.
We can only maintain peace
through establishment of
cooperation and partnerships. It
is not possible to mention about
security, unity or prosperity,
excluding or giving a different
statute to any Balkan State.
Any of the Balkan States does
not have the right to say to the
others: “I live on my own. I
solve my problems by myself. I
do not need to ask for advice; I
do not listen to the others”.
Because security and prosperity
in the Balkans can only be
secured through collective
cooperation in parallel with
global rules. This is the only
way to keep the peace in the
region. And this will lead for
the establishment of permanent
peace, prosperity and
sustainable stability in the
Balkans.
President Süleyman Demirel
defined the globalization with
the following words: “Humanity
started to make every possible
endeavour to fight against
poverty, keep the peace and keep
the earth at the beginning of
the 21st Century. This is the
globalization.”
Even this definition itself can
spontaneously be a solution for
Macedonia’s solitariness.
So I would like to underline
that; to secure:
Undivided Balkans,
Democratic Balkans,
Peaceful Balkans,
Prosperous Balkans,
must be our main objectives.
Implementation of all these
factors depends on the unity and
cooperation in the Balkans.
Turkey is a NATO member country.
Turkey has always supported and
made efforts for the memberships
of the Balkan States to the
NATO. Moreover, Turkey
faithfully supported even the
membership of Greece without
remuneration. Previously
experienced conflicts in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and
Bulgaria would never be repeated
with the memberships of the
Balkan States to the NATO.
Finalizing my intervention; I
would like to state that; the
future of people, stability of
the region and democratic values
do not have to be endangered by
wrong statements and
declarations, so to say, with
“word plays”. This would be a
false, defective and improper
attitude.
Macedonia is a nation.
It knocked the NATO’s door of
its own accord.
In the light of the traditional
hospitality of the Balkans, we
and Greece have to say “welcome
aboard” to Macedonia which was
knocked the NATO’s door, and
give them a warm welcome
overcoming our fears and
concerns.
Once again, on behalf of the
Marmara Foundation, I would like
to express my greetings to all
of you; and thank all
distinguished directors of the
Balkan Political Club,
especially to President Zhelyu
Zhelev, for the organization of
this important conference.
Thank you for your attention.