site.btaSofia Voices Concern over Situation in Macedonia's Kumanovo

Sofia Voices Concern over Situation in Macedonia's Kumanovo


Sofia, May 10 (BTA) - Bulgaria is deeply concerned over the
situation in Kumanovo in the Republic of Macedonia, the Foreign
Ministry in Sofia said in a statement Sunday. The statement
offers condolences for the deceased and injured and expresses
hope that security will be restored as soon as possible so as to
avoid further escalation of tensions and increase of the number
of victims.

"We urge all political actors to behave responsibly in the name
of the stability of the Republic of Macedonia and the region. We
believe that the status of the Republic of Macedonia as a
candidate country for EU and NATO membership requires full,
objective and transparent investigation of the events, as well
as taking all necessary measures within the law," the Ministry
says.

In a statement from Mongolia where he is on a state visit,
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev expressed concern over
Kumanovo and offered his condolences for the lost lives. "The
institutions of the Republic of Macedia most ensure peace and
stability, and appeace the situation in a democratic way, on the
basis of lawful actions, heading its civil society and treating
seriously its just demands," he said.

He also said that all actions against the law are to be
condemned, regardless of who is the doer. "We call upon all
parties, whoever they may be, to solve the problems through the
mechanisms of dialogue, civil initiative and in keeping with the
democratic principles."

Plevneliev expects the situation in Macedonia to be on the
agenda of the South Eastern Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP)
where Bulgaria assumed the chairmanship from Albania in late
May, and described the organization as "the most important and
most legitimate format of political dialogue in the region".

Commenting the events in Kumanovo, Movement for Rights and
Freedoms (MRF) leader Lyutvi Mestan said that they are not a
problem of Macedonia alone but of the whole Balkan region and
the European Union. "What is happening there must be a lesson
for the Bulgarian politicians, who have a responsibility to
preserve the ethnic model in Bulgaria and civil peace".

Mestan also said that his party condemns ethno-preligious
extremism, regardless of whether it is provoked by the majority
or by the minority. "The events in Kumanovo update the value of
the Bulgarian ethno-religious model. The Bulgarian ethnic model
is an alternative to civil conflicts."

The MRF leader argued that the stepped up EU integration of the
Western Balkans would solve the problems caused by memory of
past conflicts.