Skopje, 5 September 2024 (MIA) - We shouldn’t only expect foreign factors and the international community to solve the regional problems. We, as countries of the region, should try to solve our issues by ourselves. It is easier to wait for others to come and solve our problems, but that means they aren’t solved in the manner and pace that we expect, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a press conference Thursday in Skopje when asked about the open issues in the region and Turkey’s approach to them.

“The political issues we face in the Balkans are issues that we’ve inherited from history and the only way to solve these problems is peacefully, through dialogue, and we should do everything we can to that end. In the recent past, we have had many sad examples when war and conflicts brought us ruin,” Fidan said.

Turkey, Fidan stressed, has an active approach to solving issues peacefully and through dialogue, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the process between Belgrade and Pristina.

Fidan called for a systemic approach for greater growth and prosperity of the entire region, instead of only thinking about “personal benefits”.

“If we succeed in that, all people in the region will be able to preserve their identities, all countries will preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we will be able to live in peace. But we must be virtuous; what we want for ourselves, we should also want for others. When we reach that level, I believe there will be peace in the region,” the Turkish FM said. 

Photo: MIA