Macedonia extended immense gratitude to the United States and President George W. Bush for their friendship and huge help in the process of Macedonia's NATO integration. Macedonia will continue its strategic friendship with the United States as its biggest capital for stabilization of the region, said Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki at the NATO summit in Bucharest.

He said he was greatly disappointed by the lack of vision of the other NATO member countries, which by supporting Greece opted for smaller rather than greater stability. The risks of the region getting destabilized will be a responsibility of Greece. In Milososki's words, this is a defeat of the NATO principles, not because Macedonian troops participate in NATO missions around the world, but because a nation is denied the right to freedom, name and identity. NATO is thus breaking the principle of freedom and democracy and the policy of open doors.

In these difficult moments, the Macedonian leaders are returning to their country to be with their people, 90 percent of whom backed Macedonia's NATO membership.

"Macedonia is being punished not for what it did, but for what it is. We are Macedonians and we will remain so forever," Minister Milososki said.