Macedonia has opted for Euro-Atlantic integration as its strategic goal, bit its integration bid has been hindered by a virtual dispute with an EU and NATO member country and our neighbor. Help us to get what we have deserved and worked hard for - NATO membership and negotiations with the European Union.

This was stated by PM Nikola Gruevski at a formal academy marking the Europe Day, which was attended by top officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps and other guests.

"My country should be allowed to make a headway in the field of European and Euro-Atlantic integration and to launch EU membership talks and join NATO. I think it is the right thing to endorse the European Commission recommendation at the Council of EU for fixing a date for start of accession talks and to become a NATO member at the summit in Chicago. This is not just an expression to pass the time of day, this is a clear and unambiguous message by more than two million people and living souls enduring the injustice that has enormously cut down our development and our perspective," Gruevski noted.

He urged Macedonia to get what it had deserved.

"I make an appeal, help us to get what we deserve and worked hard for. What is desired by the citizens, all political parties and social groups that have deserved a membership to NATO and start of accession talks with the EU through dignified hard work. We are not asking for reward or pity. We are asking our work and efforts to be acknowledged and appreciated, generating an understanding for the needs and interests of our citizens to have conditions for further socio-economic development and new reforms and modernization based on European values, Gruevski added.

The PM said that state top officials recently had knocked on doors to convince everyone that Macedonia was sincere having no ill intentions and that all criteria had been met. He asked for justice pointing out the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

"An additional light to this motivation and chance for progress is thrown by the position of the Hague court that my country should be allowed to integrate into international structures, into NATO and EU without additional conditions, which are not included in the list of Copenhagen criteria. The position by the ICJ - which is founded by the UN and EU and NATO countries and serves as the biggest guarantee of international law and whose work is based on high European and Euro-Atlantic values of freedom, justice, rule of law and equality - gives us a fresh incentive to overcome all challenges on the road to European and Euro-Atlantic integration by establishing relations of friendship and cooperation with all EU countries, with all regional countries and our neighbors. And I believe that the EU and NATO will abide by these ICJ values," PM Gruevski stated.

He also focused on "the virtual dispute with Greece, pressing us to quit our constitutional name and identity."

"If any citizen of Europe in the 21st century is told not to be called Spaniard, Polish, German, Estonian, Italian, Czech, English... is great injustice and seriously undermines the foundation of the European idea, which is not only large economy and mutual dependency. It is, as I have said, much, much more. Great injustice - this is what is happening to our country and our people," Gruevski underlined.

He pointed out the EU and its political leadership whose "assistance will be an encouragement for a small country with great faith in European and Euro-Atlantic principles."

"We will keep on negotiating with our neighbor Greece with dedication and enthusiasm to settle this open issue and to find a mutually acceptable and sustainable solution without winners and losers. It is of joint interest to find a solution. Europe's interest to expand and its policy of open doors is much more vital than any partial objectives by some EU member. The Union itself can give concrete answers and it is powerful enough to guarantee protection, to stimulate a country not to abandon the Euro-idea," Premier Nikola Gruevski urged.