Hans-Peter Friedrich, German Bundestag member of the ruling Christian Social Union (CSU), believes it is important that the crisis in Macedonia is swiftly solved through urgent elections and through the objective work of the Special Prosecutor's Office.
Friedrich said in an interview with MIA that the European Union's internal problems represent an obstacle for faster accession of candidate-countries, including Macedonia.
Regarding the refugee problem, he says the worst has passed.
"The Balkan route is closed and we thank the Macedonian Government for its contribution. This is important because it shows Europe, but also the entire globe that we cannot be a home for everyone", adds Friedrich. According to him, it is not possible to say whether the EU-Turkey agreement will be signed and implemented, but there is certainly a way for both sides to find a way toward a solution and that both Ankara and Brussels have interest to implement it.
Friedrich said that he is grateful for the decision on the part of the Macedonian authorities to close down the border, adding that not all political parties in Germany agree on what Macedonia has done. "The Macedonian Government handled the entire crisis very bravely and I'm extremely garteful to the Macedonians for that, especially for making the political decision they made. Unfortunately, not everyone in the German Federal Government sees this in the same way. But, I must emphasize-Macedonia made a tremendous contribution to significantly reduce the number of migrants in Europe", Friedrich adds.
Pertaining to the political crisis in Macedonia, the German MP says elections should be held as soon as possible.
"First of all, it is important to have elections in Macedonia as soon as possible.In a democracy, elections are fundamental for formation of governments and Macedonia needs a stable government. I hope the opposition in Macedonia is abiding by the agreements it supported regarding the elections and will quickly agree to early elections", says Friedrich. As a former federal minister of the interior, Friedrich expects the Special Prosecutor's Office to be objective and to act with credibility.
"It is very important that the institution gives signals to all stakeholders over its objectivity and credibility. Therefore, I hope this newly-established institution is neutral", claims Friedrich.
Asked if Germany and EU in general could put pressure on Greece over the name issue and end of its blocks to Macedonia's EU and NATO accession, he says that Germany has given signals to Greece that it expects to see a friendly attitude toward Macedonia, but the problems EU is currently facing do not give room for optimism that Macedonia will soon join the Union.
"Showing a friendly attitude also means showing solidarity toward all potential member states. But, regarding our approach toward Macedonia, I must say that the EU is facing so many internal problems at the moment. First we need to consolidate and then contemplate on the possibility of new members. All EU member-states, including Greece, are urged to be constructive", says Friedrich.
He stresses that economy is one of the criteria for Macedonia's EU accession, but political stability is the top priority. "It is always easier to join the European Union if you are a country in good economic standing. We are very happy to see that unemployment in the Republic of Macedonia has been reduced in the past years, and that there s economic growth. But we must emphasize that political stability is also a very important pre-condition for bringing in new investments, opening new jobs and economic growth. That is why it is important that Macedonia should be politically stable", Friedrich adds.
As member of Parliament from the ruling coalition CSU party, Friedrich says that Chancellor Merkel has kept her interest alive in the Balkans, as seen in the 2014 Balkan conference she organized. But, Friedrich blames Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier for putting his political interests, and the interests of his Social Democratic Party (SPD), ahead of the German interests regarding the Balkans.
"We have interest to see the Balkans stable and economically prosperous, and that also goes for Macedonia. I'm sorry that the German Minister of Foreign Affairs is more interested in the position of his party in this situation. I think that we need to have stability and cooperation with the democratic forces in Macedonia. Macedonia is not only in the focus of the German Federal Government, but also of the European Union, as seen in the recent advisory meeting of our foreign affairs ministers on Macedonia last week", says Friedrich.