Moscow sees the way out of the current critical situation in Macedonia and the Balkans in general, in a treaty which would cement the principle of borders inviolability in the region, a high-ranking diplomatic source in Moscow told RIA Novosti, commenting on the aggravating situation in Macedonia.
According to the source, all Balkan conflicts have always been prompted by the very question of redistribution of borders. In particular, further Montenegrin claims of secession will lead to the break-up of Yugoslavia. This, in turn, may "detonate" separatist tendencies in Macedonia and Bosnia. Since practically all Balkan states are multinational countries, similar tendencies will prompt a crisis in the whole Balkan region, the source said.
That is why, the source added, Russia voiced the initiative to hold an inter-regional conference in the Balkans and suggested that all countries of the region cement the principles of border inviolability and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. All problems of minorities, the source believes, should be solved within each particular state in line with the constitution.
According to the source, the root of the Balkan problem lies in Kosovo, while the current Macedonian developments may be characterised as "metastases" of the phenomenon. He believes that the international community should first of all resort to preventive diplomacy for it is easier to prevent a conflict than to fight the already emerged crises.
