EU, US, NATO, OSCE Join Forces to Condemn Macedonia Murders

Riot police clash with stone-throwing demonstraters in Skopje, the capital of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on 16 April 2012. EPA/BGNES

The USA, European Union, NATO, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have come together in condemning the five murders in Macedonia which led to rising ethnic tensions between the Macedonian Slavs and the ethnic Albanians.

The heads of the missions of the European Union, NATO, OSCE, and the United States in Macedonia's capital Skopje issued a joint statement on Wednesday, condemning the murders of five men of Macedonian Slavic origin, which occurred near the village of Smiljkovci, and sending deepest sympathies to the families of the victims.

"We understand that the authorities are investigating this crime and seeking the perpetrator, or perpetrators. We support the Government's efforts to pursue the investigation and legal procedures in the timeliest manner possible and encourage the cooperation of the public in gathering all available information on these killings", reads the statement, as cited by MINA.

In an apparent show of concern that Macedonia can implode over the ethnic tensions after the murders, the EU, NATO, OSCE and the US urged all citizens of Macedonia to remain calm, to refrain from speculation or unfounded allegations, and to show patience for the investigative process to take its course.

"When citizens engage in violence or attempt to take the law into their own hands, it only pulls the police away from the investigation and makes it more difficult to bring the murderers to justice", reads the joint statement.

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