SKOPJE
Macedonia would have become a NATO member if Greece had not hindered its efforts on name and identity grounds, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said in a business meeting with Turkish businessmen in Skopje on Sunday.
Prime Minister Gruevski came together with Turkish businessmen in Skopje in a meeting for know-how exchange.
"If Greece had not generated discord with Macedonia for name and identity reasons, Macedonia would have become a NATO member in 2008 and initiated membership negotiations with EU," Gruevski said.
Asked about where he thought Macedonia would be in ten years, Gruevski said: "I see Macedonia as an EU and NATO member."
The volume of trade between Macedonia and Turkey increased eightfold in the last 20 years, Macedonian Prime Minister Gruevski said. Turkey and Macedonia have good economic ties in addition to strong political relations, he asserted.
"It is no wonder that Turks feel at home in Macedonia," Gruevski said.
Stating that Turkish investments in Macedonia have reached 1 billion euros, Gruevski said they are planning to double the amount to 2 billion by 2015.
