Skopje, 22 December 2021 (MIA) - The EU accession of Turkey, North Macedonia and the rest of the Balkan countries is crucial both from a political and from an economic aspect. We want North Macedonia to start EU talks as soon as possible. Negotiations, which have a three-fold importance for member states and candidate countries, should not be prevented by political obstacles. Shared values should be used to put pressure on certain countries. The EU must be objective when it comes to these issues. North Macedonia’s EU accession is important both for the Balkans and for the Union, the Speaker of The Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Mustafa Şentop, said in an interview with MIA. Şentop on Tuesday paid an official visit to North Macedonia and addressed MPs, as well as held meetings with Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi and President Stevo Pendarovski. “We also want North Macedonia to make use of some of the opportunities offered by or defence industry, which have recently become a global brand, including Turkey’s unmanned combat aircraft,” he told MIA. According to him, the security situation in the region has recently seen a negative trend in the past few months. The separatist rhetoric and political crisis resumes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while relations between Kosovo and Serbia are tense. “Non-papers on border changes that appeared in the public in April may have played a role in this. NATO is the most important factor for security in the region. As allies, we must retain our position that ensures security and stability,” Şentop underlined. He added that Turkey sees North Macedonia as a friendly country, with which it has a strong historical connection. Therefore, Turkey has supported the county since the independence and was the first to recognize its real name and identity. Later, it also supported its EU aspirations, NATO accession and membership in the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. “Turkey and North Macedonia share cultural, historical and interpersonal ties, which we aim to advance through political, economic and interparliamentary efforts,” said Şentop. How do you rate relations between North Macedonia and Turkey? Our historical, cultural and interpersonal relations have deep roots. Turkey has supported North Macedonia since its independence, has always stood by it and was one of the first to recognize it as a country. Our close relations and cooperation are based on strong foundations. North Macedonia is an important partner and ally of Turkey. We continue to strengthen relations in all areas, including trade, investments, tourism, defence industry, education and culture. Moreover, we resume efforts in politics, economy and interparliamentary cooperation, in order to enhance excellent relations. Turkey sees North Macedonia as a friendly country, with which we have a strong historical connection. Therefore, Turkey has supported the county since the independence and was the first to recognize its real name and identity. Later, we also supported its EU aspirations, NATO accession and membership in the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. Turkey and North Macedonia share cultural, historical and interpersonal ties, which we aim to advance through political, economic and interparliamentary efforts. What’s parliamentary cooperation like and how should it develop in the future? I can safely say that cooperation between our two Parliaments is almost perfect. I meet with counterpart Talat Xhaferi any chance I get. despite the fact that bilateral visits were reduced at global level due to the pandemic, we stayed in touch with North Macedonia, because we value our relations. Our national delegations to international parliamentary organization support each other when necessary. I want our cooperation within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to continue to enhance and hope that in the future we’ll be able to establish an even more influential alliance in parliamentary diplomacy. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ratified North Macedonia’s NATO Accession Protocol fast, perhaps faster than any other international document. North Macedonia is a mature democracy, home of people from different ethnicities. Many Turkish nationals have friends and family in North Macedonia. This closeness between our two peoples is a bridge for the further development of our relations. North Macedonia regularly marks December 21 - Turkish Language Day. How much can bilateral cultural and historical relations and cooperation in education intensify? We’re proud of cultural and historical bilateral relations, while education is an area in which cooperation constantly grows. This year, 1,764 Turkish students are studying in North Macedonia. We want this number to grow, but also to attract more Macedonian students to Turkey. Since 1992, a total of 1,584 Macedonian students made use of scholarship opportunities in Turkey and we have to make an effort to increase this number. In regard to Turkish Language Day, the Turkish community’s right to education is guaranteed in the Constitution. We’re ready to provide support and enhance cooperation to continue this practice. The EU’s General Affairs Council noted that Turkey continues to distance itself from the European Union. The country started EU accession talks in 2005, but there has been no progress for the past few years. However, Turkey supports North Macedonia’s EU accession. What do you think about current events regarding the process and the dispute with Bulgaria, which is blocking North Macedonia’s progress towards Union membership? What’s your position on Bulgaria’s demands? EU-Turkey relations should develop in line with a positive agenda, based on our membership perspective. The best geopolitical investment for the EU would be to strengthen this perspective. Integration of Balkan countries is also important. It has always been and remains a top priority for our policy in the region. The EU accession of Turkey, North Macedonia and the rest of the Balkan countries is crucial both from a political and from an economic aspect. We want North Macedonia to start EU talks as soon as possible. Negotiations, which have a three-fold importance for member states and candidate countries, should not be prevented by political obstacles. Shared values should be used to put pressure on certain countries. The EU must be objective when it comes to these issues. North Macedonia’s EU accession is important both for the Balkans and for the Union. Turkey resumes the EU harmonization process and we hope that bilateral relations will improve in the near future. Turkey and North Macedonia also have long-standing cooperation in the defence sector.  How will support and collaboration between the two NATO allies continue to develop? First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to express our satisfaction over North Macedonia’s NATO accession. Our natural alliance has now been made official in NATO. Turkey will continue to promote cooperation with North Macedonia’s military and defence sector. Turkey has provided significant material support, as well as assistance for equipping North Macedonia’s army. Moreover, it has offered training opportunities. Defence is an important aspect of bilateral cooperation and both countries are committed to continuing to develop collaboration. We also want North Macedonia to make use of some of the opportunities offered by or defence industry, which have recently become a global brand, including Turkey’s unmanned combat aircraft. How do you rate the security situation in the region and how long and how can it be impacted by bilateral cooperation between NATO allies? The security situation in the region has recently seen a negative trend in the past few months. The separatist rhetoric and political crisis resumes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while relations between Kosovo and Serbia are tense. Non-papers on border changes that appeared in the public in April may have played a role in this. NATO is the most important factor for security in the region. As allies, we must retain our position that ensures security and stability. Synergy based on this position will undoubtedly contribute to security in the region. Cooperation within KFOR and EUFOR are an excellent example. Our will to advance bilateral cooperation can also be a factor for achieving this goal. If we analyze the past, we’ll notice that there have always been forces that favor conflict in the Balkans and often succeeded in their mission. Turkey has been committed to ensuring the peace and stability in the Balkans. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is especially sensitive to this subject and is in constant contact with your heads of state with the aim of ensuring peace in the region. The role of Parliaments is also clear. We must make efforts and commitments to establishing permanent peace in the region. How are Parliaments supporting cooperation in fight against terrorism and trafficking of drugs and arms? Efficient regional cooperation is crucial in managing threats to regional security. Turkey is aware of this and through cooperation with countries, as well as via the Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Cooperation in the field of Security of the South East European Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly wants regional Parliaments to be included in the process and supports governments. Special attention is paid to fight against terrorist organization FETO. This dangerous structure is a direct threat to countries where it operates. Therefore, cooperation with the countries involved is crucial. FETO is a criminal organization that’s skilled in hiding its evil goals and aims to take over the countries where it operates and collaborates with criminal groups. That’s why North Macedonia must free itself from this terrorist organization. The country has already taken action against this criminal structure. Tell us more about cooperation against illegal migration and in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Illegal migration and the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of the need for international cooperation. Countries realized that they can’t face these challenges alone. Our region is in a critical position in regard to illegal migration. It’s part of the route towards final destinations and has faced hard challenges. Turkey has and continues to fulfil obligations in this regard. However, there’s need to develop regional and international cooperation with the goal of ending ongoing problems. The Balkans successfully passed the test on regional cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. It clearly expressed the spirit of regional cooperation through regional mechanisms for border crossing at the onset of the pandemic and medical assistance between neighbors later on. Turkey also sent assistance. But, the pandemic resumes. Even though the region is prepared for new waves, we must also develop cooperation mechanisms. One of the priorities of the 2020-20221 presidency of the South-East European Cooperation Process was establishing regional cooperation in fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which I believe we managed to achieve. Can Turkish investments and trade exchange increase by updating the free trade agreement, considering total Turkish investments in North Macedonia stood in 2020 at nearly USD 1.3 bullion? Turkey is currently North Macedonia’s fifth largest partner in regard to investments and seventh in regard to trade. Trade exchange between the two countries currently stands at USD 700 million. Our economic and trade relations with North Macedonia have great potential. Trade exchange has grown 46% compared to last year. This sends the message that we’ll achieve the common goal of USD 1 billion in the near future. However, we can do better. Therefore, we’ve paid a lot of attention to updating the free trade agreement to include the agriculture and service sectors, which will enable us to reach our goal faster. Relevant institutions are working hard on this. Hopefully, the process will be finalized very soon. By updating the agreement, Turkish investments in North Macedonia will likely surpass USD 2 billion. Turkish investments are important for North Macedonia. Turkey wants North Macedonia to develop and ensures the opening of new job positions. We want to support our friends financially. I believe that bilateral relations will continue to advance is every sector and I know that your Parliament Speaker, Prime Minister and President want the same thing and intend to further enhance relations between North Macedonia and Turkey. Cvetanka Minovska