RT: The Macedonian authorities called the perpetrators of the unrest 'terrorists'. But there are many who disagree and say they're fighting for independence. How bad could the situation get?
ST: There is no limit with rebelling Albanians. We should bear in mind that the Skopje authorities, after the Albanian rebellion in 2001, effectively turned the country into a bi-national condominium. The Albanian party is a permanent member of the ruling coalition. One really has to wonder what else they could possibly want. This is primarily instigated from Kosovo, not from Albania, and it is in Kosovo that you have former KLA fighters [Kosovo Liberation Army] with lots of experience in staging ambushes and terrorist attacks. After all, they openly propagate the notion of a Greater Albania that will include not only Kosovo, but also Western Macedonia, and parts of the Epirus [region] in Greece and southern Montenegro.
What I believe is the limit for the escalation is the announcement by the Skopje government that there will be no Russian pipeline going across Macedonian territory from Greece into Serbia. Of course that will not be in the form of a public announcement. But I believe [that] [Nikola] Gruevski, the Macedonian Prime Minister, has been too hesitant to state pointblank that this project will not play.
My suspicion about the Macedonian Albanians is correct. And if ever they succeed, turning the heart of the Balkans not just into an emirate for the ISIS but also center of the drug and black market trade. So much for making excuses all the time!
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