SKOPJE
Turkish parliament speaker defined on Thursday obstacles put before Macedonia's NATO membership as unjust.
Cemil Cicek said Turkey's support to Macedonia's NATO membership was obvious, and it would maintain its determination to back the country's membership.
"We have no hesitations about Macedonia's NATO membership. We think it is a rightful and correct demand," Cicek told a joint press conference with his Macedonian counterpart Trajko Veljanovski in Skopje.
Cicek said Turkey supported Macedonia's reforms and efforts on road to the European Union (EU), and noted that Turkey did not think obstacles before Macedonia's NATO membership were right and just.
"Macedonia's demand is right and just, and we think it will contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans," Cicek said.
Cicek said peace, order and stability in the Balkans were for the best interests of every one.
Veljanovski, in his part, underlined importance of Turkey's support for his country's NATO membership.
Parliament Speaker Cicek later met members of Macedonian-Turkish Friendship Group, and attended a luncheon hosted in his honor by Veljanovski.
Macedonia has, like Albania and Croatia, been participating in the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for a number of years to prepare for possible membership.
Last week, Macedonia's prime minister urged NATO members to give his country another chance to join the alliance at its summit in Chicago later this month. The alliance rejected Macedonia's previous bid in 2008, following objections from neighboring Greece.
Athens has a dispute with Skopje over Macedonia's name, which Greece claims could imply claims on its own northern province also called Macedonia. Under a 1995 bilateral agreement, Greece had agreed not to block Macedonia's membership in international organizations if it used the name "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)."
Turkey recognizes Macedonia by its own constitutional name, "Republic of Macedonia".
Macedonia has been friendly to NATO since its independence, allowing US troops to use its territory as a staging ground during the Yugoslav wars.
(Reporting by Alp Ozden)
Ethnical and cultural diversity should be preserved in Balkans
Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek has said that ethnical and cultural diversity should be preserved in the Balkans, but ethnical differences should not cause separation.
Addressing Macedonian Parliament on Thursday, Cicek said that Turkey was the first country that recognized Macedonia.
Turkey, which is an important trade partner of Macedonia, became the third country which invested most in Macedonia in 2011, said Cicek.
Cicek said that besides political and economic cooperation, Turkey and Macedonia had an intensive cooperation in military area too.
Turkey will continue to extend support to Macedonian Armed Forces' reaching NATO standards as well as Macedonian officers' having a high-level training, said Cicek.
He said that Turkish citizens of Macedonian origin and Macedonian citizens of Turkish origin were the soundest basis of friendship bridge between the two countries.
Turkish community in Macedonia is the third largest ethnic group in the country, said Cicek, adding that there were two Turkish deputies in Macedonian Parliament.
Noting that Turkey attached importance in Macedonia's integration with Europe-Atlantic institutions, Cicek said that Macedonia deserved to take place in NATO, and it had a common future with the EU.
All allies appreciate Macedonia's contributions to ISAF operation in Afghanistan as well as missions and operations of NATO, said Cicek.
(Reporting by Alp Ozden)
