Germany: Steinmeier on Macedonia - unrest may disrupt the Balkans

The situation in Macedonia should not only be calmed down, but work must to be put in to ensure that the country's EU course is not disturbed, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Berlin, Wednesday. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Albanian counterpart Ditmir Bushati, Steinmeier opined that every regression or a conflict between ethnicities in one Balkan state can have an impact on the others, which needs to be prevented. Steinmeier's statement came related to a police raid in Kumanovo in northern Macedonia on May 9, which resulted in the deaths of 14 suspects, all of whom were ethnic Albanians, and eight police officers, as well as recent anti-government protests in Macedonia's capital Skopje