Gashi: The EU was unfair to North Macedonia; constitutional amendments must not become an interethnic issue

Afrim Gashi, speaker of North Macedonia’s Assembly, called for the country’s stability and interethnic relations to be protected at all costs. In an interview with “360 Degrees,” he said European institutions had treated Macedonia unfairly in the past, but urged that the constitutional amendments not be misused or turned into a source of interethnic division.

Speaking about current social and political tensions and the country’s obligations on its European path, Gashi described interethnic relations as the main pillar of stability. He said parties should not exploit sensitive issues for short-term political gain, especially when those issues affect the country’s strategic and Euro-Atlantic goals.

Gashi said the European Union had missed an opportunity to show, through North Macedonia’s example, that countries willing to make major compromises to resolve bilateral disputes could move more quickly toward membership.

He said those countries should have been encouraged. According to Gashi, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there were serious doubts within the EU about enlargement, and various arguments were used against it. After the invasion, he said, it became clear that Europe could once again face serious military and security challenges. That, in his view, brought a recognition that Southeastern Europe is part of the continent and that the region should be viewed not only through the lens of integration but also through that of security.

In Gashi’s view, the geopolitical map shows that Europe has now understood this and is trying to correct its approach, although some developments have gone too far. He cited the circumstances that led to the French proposal, political developments within the opposition, and the rise to power of a party that opposed that agreement. These factors, he said, give the issue political weight and make it difficult to move forward smoothly.