Macedonian-Russian Relations

[Risto the Great]

Dear EU, at least take Macedonia out to dinner before using the date-rape drugs!
The EU has already limited Macedonia's options through existing agreements. If these are the conditions Macedonia wants in order to join the EU, then it needs to bend over and accept them.

[George S.]

why can't macedonia be permitted to appear to dinner as is,whats wrong with that.It was good enough for greece to appear with one of the worst human rights in europe.Why can't macedonia appear who is afraid of little old macedonia.????

[Big Bad Sven]

The EU is little more than a glove for Atlanticism and the interests of the US, not the interests of actual European states or its peoples. Its just a tool for the USA, then followed by UK, Germany and France to push their agendas. The other members are just cannon fodder and slaves.

The reality for countries outside this EU axis is this...The U.S takes a position, followed unwaveringly by the British, followed by the French every single time post Chirac, with the Germans neutral. No other E.U country outside this group has a say or matters TBH and must tow the line, with a Hissy-fit allowed every now and then.

Many leaders and politicians in central and Eastern Europe, know if they reject Atlanticism , especially its military and geopolitical strategies, will not be tolerated and sidelined, by a fellow acquiescing traitor/coward politician, waiting in the wings to take their place and to go along with Atlanticism. For example look at the slovenian scumbags, so eager to be in the EU and to rub their noses to other balkan states on how 'advanced' they are.

For example; Which E.U leader in power has spoken out against the EU's policy in the Ukraine? The EU is a joke. There is no freedom of speech or true independence if you are a smaller country.

This pipeline is actually very good for the smaller countries like Hungary, serbia, Austria etc - but the EU does not care about Europe or its citezens. This is just a tactic to punish russia and weaken it. I hope this comes back and haunts the EU

[Big Bad Sven]

European Parliament Calls For Cancellation of South Stream Agreements

Updated 4:22 p.m. Moscow Time

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) – In a resolution adopted Thursday, the European Parliament called on the EU leadership to cancel agreements with Russia, including on the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline.

The European Parliament “calls… on the Member States to cancel planned agreements with Russia in the energy sector, including the South Stream gas pipeline,” the resolution reads.

Aiming to diversify export routes from Russia to Central and Southern Europe, Russia began construction of the South Stream gas pipeline across the Black Sea in 2012. The pipeline, which will allow gas transfers to travel to Europe without crossing Ukraine, is expected to become fully operational by 2018. The first gas supplies are scheduled for late 2015.

Intergovernmental agreements were signed with Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Austria and Croatia in order to implement the construction of onshore pipeline sections. However, in August, Bulgaria suspended operations saying that they did not meet the requirements of the European Commission.

The commission has long been trying to hamper the project saying it violates the EU's Third Energy Package, which stipulates that pipelines in the European Union cannot belong to natural gas extractors. Moscow insists that the construction of the pipeline does not contradict the regulations in any way.

http://en.ria.ru/world/20140918/193051833/European-Parliament-Calls-For-Cancellation-of-South-Stream.html

[Big Bad Sven]

Looks like the EU is threatening serbia with allowing this project to go ahead. LOL they are bossing around Serbia like Serbia is already in that satanic club called the EU. Apparently the EU has put pressure on Austria and Hungary for them to cancel the project as well, but they are not listening to the EU

What a joke, the western media keeps saying Russia is a bully towards smaller countries when in fact the EU is doing the same thing, both to its smaller countries inside their EU club and even outside!

Looks like serbia will not bend to EU pressure, hopefully macedonia does not as well (but i doubt it).







Serbia proposes free trade zone with Russia

Image


Serbia’s foreign minister Ivica Dacic has proposed a limited free trade zone with Russia and has assured Moscow the South Stream gas pipeline project is safe. Russian companies meanwhile expressed readiness to invest up to $1bn in Serbia’s infrastructure.

Under the plans put forward by the Serbian official, who is in Moscow until Wednesday for a session of the Intergovernmental committee on trade, economic and scientific and technical cooperation, the two countries should instantaneously drop tariffs on a number of goods, such as sugar, meat, poultry, cigarettes, alcohol and cars.

Russia’s energy minister Aleksandr Novak said that Moscow was receptive to the proposal, but would have to clear it with other members of the Eurasian Customs Union, while agriculture minister Nikolay Fedorov said that the move could nearly double trade of comestibles between the states. The two countries traded only $270 million of agricultural produce last year, though overall trade between Russia and Serbia saw double digit growth last year.

In the meantime, Moscow officials said that 26 Russian companies wish to gain access to the privatization of various state assets in Serbia, as well as investing $1 billion into the repair and upgrading of the country’s railways network.

In turn, Dacic assured Moscow that the proposed South Stream pipeline through Serbia, which could bring up to €2 billion worth of investment into the Balkan country, is still on the cards.

“Everything is fine with the South Stream. We are ready to build it. All preparatory works are running as planned. All other matters will be settled between Russia and Brussels,” said the Socialist Party politician.

The international proposal has been put on hold since the ramping up of the Ukrainian conflict, with Brussels pressuring the Balkan state into reviewing the intergovernmental agreement according to EU laws. Construction on the project, approved by Serbia in 2008, was scheduled to begin this year.

A leaked EU report due out on Wednesday showed that Serbia’s participation in the South Stream, would likely hold back Belgrade from becoming a fully-fledged EU member in the short term.

“The intergovernmental agreement signed between Serbia and Russia to build the South Stream pipeline is not compatible with the acquis [EU laws]” says the text of the report according to EU Observer. It cites concerns over price agreement transparency, third-party access to networks, and unbundling of energy production and transportation assets.

“Serbia should not commence work on constructing South Stream until this agreement is aligned with the acquis,” concluded the EU Observer report.

[Big Bad Sven]

Breaking - Hungary passes law to allow South Stream in defiance of Brussels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rvz0K0NlbE

Hungarian law gives green light to South Stream in defiance of EU

http://rt.com/business/202171-hungary-south-stream-eu/

LOL good work by Hungary. They are doing whats best for their country, yet they are getting criticized by the west LOL

Just goes to show how smaller countries in the EU are treated like garbage and slaves

[Big Bad Sven]

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/balkan-countries-mourn-south-stream-halt

Russia has pulled the pin on the south stream project due to the corrupt EU blocking it, and also the gutless politicians in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia bending over to the EU and its demands.

This article suggests that Russia cancelling the pipeline is going to hurt serbia, bulgaria macedonia, especially as they have put money into this.

The article doesn't mention that the article also hurts Hungary, Austria and espcially Italy.

LOL at the EU empire, it truly is the evil empire. All of these smaller countries are going to suffer because the EU wants to punish and strangle Russia. If you are a small country in the EU you are nothing but an expendable slave and pawn.

[DedoAleko]

Macedonia: Status proposed to Macedonian Orthodox Church concerning, says PM

Skopje. Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski said he was concerned over the status proposed to the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Vecer daily writes.
Mr Gruevski said the issue should be resolved by competent individuals as the church was separate from the state but was worried over the proposal after speaking with Russian Metropolitan Bishop Hilarion.
”I noticed Metropolitan Bishop Hilarion wishes to mediate but he did not assure me the outcome of the negotiations would be what the Macedonian Orthodox Church has been aiming at for 20 years – autocephaly,” Gruevski said.
In his words, the fact Metropolitan Bishop Hilarion considers ”lower positions” is also worrying and everything less than autocephaly means subordination of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

izvor: http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2014/1...g-says-pm.html

[Constellation]

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/arti...th-stream-halt

Russia has pulled the pin on the south stream project due to the corrupt EU blocking it, and also the gutless politicians in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia bending over to the EU and its demands.

This article suggests that Russia cancelling the pipeline is going to hurt serbia, bulgaria macedonia, especially as they have put money into this.

The article doesn't mention that the article also hurts Hungary, Austria and espcially Italy.

LOL at the EU empire, it truly is the evil empire. All of these smaller countries are going to suffer because the EU wants to punish and strangle Russia. If you are a small country in the EU you are nothing but an expendable slave and pawn.

Matteo Salvini agrees with Hungary.

MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) — Italian politician and member of the European Parliament Matteo Salvini has said it is time to follow Hungary’s example and threaten to leave the European Union, RIA Novosti’s Russian language service reported.

Speaking via his Twitter account, Salvini, a member of the conservative Lega Nord, stated Monday that “Hungary has found the courage to rebel against Brussels and is now developing. Why shouldn’t we do it too?”

Late last month, the Speaker of Hungary’s National Assembly Laszlo Köver threatened that the country would withdraw from the European Union if Brussels continues to interfere in the country’s domestic affairs with what he called “oppressive measures”. Köver noted that the EU’s continued interference may lead to Hungary’s “slow and careful” withdrawal from the Union, whose future he said would be “unbearably bureaucratic”.

His actions are not popular with the Establishment.

Last month, Salvini and fellow Lega Nord parliamentarian Paolo Grimoldi visited Moscow, where they spoke out against sanctions and called for increased cooperation between Italy and Russia in economics, sports, culture and the fight against global terror. Lega Nord representatives were the only ones in Brussels to vote against sanctions aimed at Russia over the events in Ukraine, and have faced a backlash of criticism in the Italian media as a result. Party representatives have noted that sanctions and countersanctions have meant lost exports and lost jobs for Italians. The Eurosceptical party formed a “Friends of Putin” group in Italy’s parliament, stating that the Russian president is “respected by representatives of different political forces.”

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20141103/1014243117.html

[DedoAleko]

Macedonia"in line of fire"over Ukraine

Kerry: the United States does not want to lead with Russia game to defeat

The United States believes that some European countries are in the line of fire " in the context of the relations of capital of the United States with Moscow, while the White house did not seek game defeat, said Tuesday at a hearing in the Senate U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry.

"Whether we are talking about Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and other locations - Georgia, Moldova, Transnistria, they are in the line of fire", "Kerry said, answering the senators' questions about the growing influence of Russia in the European Union.

"We're trying to convince people that We don't get the game to defeat with Russia," he added.

The West accuses the Russian Federation in the background to the crisis in the Donbass, this does not provide proof of his words. The Russian Federation in response to the unfounded accusations of the West has stated many times that is not involved in the events in the South-East of Ukraine, is not a party to domestic conflict and is interested in Ukraine overcame political and economic crisis.

The Russian Federation also has repeatedly stated that the fall in Ukraine could be protected if some time ago was agreed Made Russia a European security Treaty and NATO uses the conflict in Ukraine in the form of pretext, increasing military presence in Eastern Europe.

the Ministry of foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stated that North America and the EU openly supported the anti-constitutional coup in Kyiv and actions came to power of the nationalist forces armed suppression and economic strangulation " of the South-East of the country. In these conditions Russia has made efforts to promote the rapid ceasefire, to achieve long-term cease-fire, the steel Minsk consensus. In the capital of Russia noted that many times agitated external actors to influence Kiev for the execution of the Minsk agreements in order to address the situation in the East of the country.

http://news.rin.ru/eng/news_text/93403/

[DedoAleko]

Serbia "in line of fire" over Ukraine, says U.S. official

WASHINGTON -- The United States thinks a number of European countries, Serbia among them, are "in the line of fire" when it comes to relations between Washington and Moscow.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was appearing before a U.S. Senate subcommittee when he was asked about "the growing influence of Russia in Europe."

In this context, besides Serbia, Kerry also mentioned "Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, and others, Georgia, Moldova, Pridnestrovie," RIA Novosti reported.

He also told the subcommittee it was Russia that "engaged in a rather remarkable period of the most overt and extensive propaganda exercise that I've seen since the very height of the Cold War."

"And they have been persisting in their misrepresentations - lies - whatever you want to call them about their activities there to my face, to the face of others on many different occasions."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on several occasions denied that Moscow was supplying pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine with weapons.

The war there has so far claimed the lives of more than 5,600 people.

Members of the U.S. Congress want U.S. President Barack Obama to approve sending arms to Ukraine, something opposed by many European countries.

As he addressed the subcommittee on Tuesday, Kerry did not wish to state his position on the issue, but said it was "under active consideration."

U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy remarked during the hearing there was concern that the debate about sending arms to Ukraine was overshadowing "a far bigger project that is unfolding before us" - and that is "the spread of Russia's influence."

"What we see in Ukraine in the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Russia's influence in that region," he said, and added that legal instruments should be found to suppress that influence which he believes encompasses Moldavia, Georgia, Serbia, Montenegro, "Latvia, the Baltic".

Murphy added that this was a case of "asymmetric warfare," and described it in the following way:

"They buy the media, pay off public servants, or intimidate those they cannot buy."

According to him, "such Russian behavior" has not met with the West's adequate response.

Resources are needed to conduct such a strategy, he explained.

The U.S. senator noted that he was in the Balkans last fall, and that during his trip he noticed "great Russian influence in Serbia."

"Russia is marching in Serbia with greater than ever influence," he said, adding that at the same time, the U.S. embassy in Belgrade struggles to raise funds for exchange programs.

During the debate, Kerry also offered this analysis:

"Russia is engaged in a massive effort to sway nations, to appeal to them, reach out to them, and fundamentally, tragically, sort of reigniting a new kind of East-West zero sum game that we think is dangerous and unnecessary."

At the same time, reports quoted him as saying that Washington was doing "a pretty good job of standing up for Ukrainian sovereignty."

Kerry also "urged the world and Congress to increase its economic support for Ukraine."

"We all need to be prepared to step up and be there economically for Ukraine as they reform and try to implement their dream and vision," he said.

izvor: http://www.b92.net/eng/news/world.ph...5&nav_id=93293

[Big Bad Sven]

hmmm this article sounds ominous of things to come......

It seems like more then a coincidence that that a lot of things have been happening since the ukrain war e.g. the recent scandals in macedonia, greece and its future in the EU, russians interested in oil that is greek and cypriot territory, even talks of russians having a navy base in Cyprus....

To me it seems like the writing on the wall for something. Either its a warning from the west for these countries not to get to close to Russia or perhaps its a warning from the west of increased russian involvement in these lands.

Im surprised Kerry never mentioned greece in his little speech

[makedonche]

What does he expect from Macedonia? no support for the name issue, blatant oversupport for the fiscally defunct platesmashers, supports the Albanian terrorists in Macedonia and is now wondering why Russian influence is spreading?...bloody idiot!

[George S.]

Kerry: the United States does not want to lead with Russia game to defeat

Kerry: the United States does not want to lead with Russia game to defeat

http://news.rin.ru/eng/news_text/93403/

The United States believes that some European countries are in the line of fire " in the context of the relations of capital of the United States with Moscow, while the White house did not seek game defeat, said Tuesday at a hearing in the Senate U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry.

"Whether we are talking about Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and other locations - Georgia, Moldova, Transnistria, they are in the line of fire", "Kerry said, answering the senators' questions about the growing influence of Russia in the European Union.

"We're trying to convince people that We don't get the game to defeat with Russia," he added.

The West accuses the Russian Federation in the background to the crisis in the Donbass, this does not provide proof of his words. The Russian Federation in response to the unfounded accusations of the West has stated many times that is not involved in the events in the South-East of Ukraine, is not a party to domestic conflict and is interested in Ukraine overcame political and economic crisis.

The Russian Federation also has repeatedly stated that the fall in Ukraine could be protected if some time ago was agreed Made Russia a European security Treaty and NATO uses the conflict in Ukraine in the form of pretext, increasing military presence in Eastern Europe.

The Ministry of foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stated that North America and the EU openly supported the anti-constitutional coup in Kyiv and actions came to power of the nationalist forces armed suppression and economic strangulation of the South-East of the country. In these conditions Russia has made efforts to promote the rapid ceasefire, to achieve long-term cease-fire, the steel Minsk consensus. In the capital of Russia noted that many times agitated external actors to influence Kiev for the execution of the Minsk agreements in order to address the situation in the East of the country.

[VMRO]

Russian Statement on Macedonia Infuriates Albania

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-slams-russian-statements-about-macedonian-incident

Tirana has called in the Russian ambassador after the Kremlin blamed Albania and Kosovo for the recently reported 'terrorist' attack on a border post in Macedonia.


Russian Ambassador in Tirana Alexander Karpushin. Photo: Gent Shkullaku/LSA

Albania's Foreign Ministry on Monday said it had summoned the Russian ambassador, Alexander Karpushin, demanding clarification about a Russian statement on the recently reported armed incident in Macedonia.

Macedonian police on 21 April said that gunmen speaking Albanian had stormed a remote border police post near Kosovo and taken four police officers hostage before releasing them.

Some Macedonian experts, politicians and former commanders of a now disbanded Albanian paramilitary force have accused the Macedonian authorities of inventing or exaggerating the incident in order to distract the Macedonian public from the country's internal dramas.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply alarmed” by the reported incident and blamed Kosovo and Albania.

“The incident on the Macedonian border is proof of the lingering sharp ethnic problems and conflict potential in that part of the Balkans. The situation is made worse by a major lack of law abidance and security in Kosovo, which obviously stems from the unresolved Kosovo problem in general,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a press statement.

“The calls for a Greater Albania that are heard more and more often in the region cannot be overlooked, either,” Moscow added.

Albania on Monday called the statement unacceptable. “The allegations against two sovereign states of Albania and Kosovo about the latest events in Macedonia are unacceptable and [have the potential] for destabilization,” the Albanian Foreign Ministry said.

“Such declarations are blackmail and do not serve for a constructive approach in the region, nor do they respect the widely accepted principles of international rights,” it added.

“Albania is a NATO member and a candidate to join the EU and any blackmailing statement from Russia will be seen from this perspective,” it added.

Russia has historically poor relations with Albania, is a close ally to Serbia, and does not recognize the independence of mainly Albanian Kosovo - which was a province of Serbia before proclaiming independence in 2008.

Albania has joined the Western stance on the conflict in Ukraine and has condemned the Russian for interference in the afairs of its western neighbour.