"A potential EU membership for Macedonia has been discussed seven times already, but there was always an obstruction, caused by Greece. What would you do if someone blocked any paths for your country for over 25 years?"

“Don’t criticise my country for dealing with the reality of the migrant crisis that Brussels refuses to face”

“Socially, the crisis is putting the European model of integration to the test. Instead of being united in diversity, will Europe now be united against diversity? Instead of integration without assimilation, will Europe now prefer integration through assimilation? The Arab philosopher Averroes wrote that “ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate and hate leads to violence.” Today in Europe, violence instigated by individuals and groups who fear diversity is spreading”

“What is Europe doing? It takes more than six months to organize a summit alone. By that time, one million new migrants have arrived. This is why, for instance, some countries along the Balkans route like us had to act on their own. If we had trusted Brussels and had not reacted on our own initiative, we would already have been flooded with jihadists. The EU has no right to accuse Macedonia. We are merely looking after ourselves.”

“In times of crisis, every country must find its own solutions”

“My country, Macedonia, is on Greece’s northern border and feeling the full force of the migrant crisis. We are facing innumerable illegal entries, the destruction of state and private property, the use of counterfeit passports and violence against security forces on the border — all of this by migrants intending to avoid registration and the verification of who actually has a right to asylum.”

“Gjorge Ivanov: We are here first of all to support our players because they show that sports unite us and make us more motivated to be more successful.”