"Don't give up on Macedonia," Turkey asks EU and NATO

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has urged NATO and the EU "not to give up on Macedonia" because of the failure of the name deal referendum.

Cavusoglu said that NATO and the EU should continue to support and cooperate with Skopje.

"We have closely followed the development of the situation, and ultimately it is the decision of the citizens of Macedonia and we have to respect that. On the other hand, neither NATO nor the EU should stop supporting Macedonia and cooperating with it because of the referendum and its outcome," he told a joint press conference in Ankara with his Dutch counterpart, MIA agency is reporting.

The Turkish minister pointed out that Macedonia has been invited to become NATO member at the last summit by a unanimous decision of all members of the alliance.

Cavusolgu emphasized that the negotiations with Macedonia on NATO accession must continue, and that the EU must pay more attention to the Western Balkans.

Turkey supports progress, peace and stability of the Balkan countries and their integration into NATO and the EU, Cavusoglu concluded.