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The vote in the Greek Parliament, whose deputies approved an agreement with a neighboring country to rename it in the Republic of Macedonia of the North, signifies the strategic and political defeat of Russia in the Balkans. NATO is now open to North Macedonia. The country will join the Alliance in the near future. And the open door of the European Union – negotiations on the entry of North Macedonia into the EU will begin this summer. And this is fundamentally important for Ukraine.
For, without the end of the process of integration of the Western Balkans, it is difficult to imagine a real beginning of the process of Euro-Atlantic and European integration of Ukraine and of Other former Soviet republics. And, more importantly, it's hard to imagine its real completion. The fact that parliamentarians from northern Macedonia and Greece have found the courage to vote for a compromise agreement is not a chance for them. It's a chance for us.
The Kremlin is well aware of this, as it is losing potential allies in the Balkans and pressure levers on this region. They know that Ukraine is next on the list. And that means the ultimate death of the "empire of evil", the same needle in an egg, which is sought after by the heroes of Russian tales to destroy Koshya.
The Kremlin sent all the forces, but lost
The Russian leadership abandoned all possible forces to prevent an agreement between the Macedonians and the Greeks. They tried to use the president of Macedonia and the main opposition party of this country. Influenced Greek politicians and even the Orthodox Church of this country. Espionage, propaganda, corruption – there was nothing that Petrov and Boshirov could have tried and their benevolent people among the Greeks and Macedonians.
Cynicism is literally flooded. A few days before the vote, the Greek Communists were hanging on the walls of the Acropolis of Athens -! – cry against the treaty, against the fact that the neighboring country could in general call Macedonia. And it is the party activist who, in the 40s, defended the right of the Slavs of Greek Macedonia to self-determination and even to association with the People's Republic of Macedonia – present-day North Macedonia – as an integral part of Yugoslavia. Defended not in newspapers or rallies, but with weapons in hand: this demand was one of the main slogans of the civil war in Greece. And when the time came to reach an agreement, the communists were the most important "patriots". Why But that's all! Stalin wanted the Greeks and Macedonians to confront each other – and helped the communists fight. And now, Putin wants the Greeks and Macedonians to come into conflict – and the Communists have tried to disrupt the treaty's approval.
But they lost. The peoples of the two neighboring countries have a historic chance to solve their problems in a united Europe, to live in a common home. When Macedonia joins the EU, in this united Europe, it will be all historical Macedonia, the kingdom of Philip and Alexander Aegea forming Greece, Pirinsky forming Bulgaria, the Vardar – Republic of Macedonia of the North. It's a true historical miracle that Putin has tried to prevent. Putin and his "Petrov and Bashiriv" declared war in the shadow of Alexander of Macedonia – and were defeated. What confusion!
A confusion that will force Russia to come out sooner or later of the Balkans, a country whose Kremlin has been used repeatedly to provoke military conflicts with the civilized world. Get out of the Balkans, leave Ukraine, go everywhere. This is the course of history.
Vitaliy Portnikov – Journalist and political commentator, columnist for Radio Liberty
The opinions expressed in the "Point of View" section convey the views of them -the authors do not necessarily reflect the position of Radio Liberty
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