Macedonia Readies for Forthcoming 'Name' Talks

Skopje | Photo by: Balkan Insight

A source from Macedonia's presidential cabinet told Balkan Insight that Skopje planned to use the ruling in the next set of talks, scheduled for January.

“Macedonia is not directly putting the ruling on the negotiating table [in New York] but we plan to use it as it goes in our favour. It will certainly influence the further course of the talks,” the source explained, speaking under condition of anonymity.

On December 5 the International Court of Justice, ICJ, ruled that Greece had breached an interim deal, brokered by the UN in 1995, when it blocked Macedonia’s attempt to join NATO in 2008. This is the first UN round of talks after the judgement was issued.

While Macedonia called the court decision a success, Greece tried to downplay its significance, noting that the court has no way of enforcing it.

On late Sunday Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov gathered top officials in his cabinet to coordinate the country’s strategy for the dialogue. The fresh round of talks is slated for January 16 and 17 in New York.

“Judging by the recent actions in Greece, the [Macedonian] leadership is afraid of a stagnation in the substantial talks,” reads the statement from President Ivanov after the cabinet meeting. He added that the country stands ready, however, to resume talks in good will.

Athens and Skopje are locked in a two-decade long dispute over Macedonia's name. Citing the unresolved issue, Greece has blocked Macedonia’s progress towards both EU and NATO membership.

Greece insists that use of the term "Macedonia" by its neighbour implies a territorial claim to its own northern province of the same name.

The UN talks have been practically frozen for a year. The UN mediator in the dispute, Matthew Nimetz, last week invited both parties to a fresh round of talks that he hopes will “re-invigorate” the process and make “meaningful progress toward resolving the 'name' issue”.

Greece is ready and supports the re-activation of the negotiations, Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas said in an interview for Sunday's edition of Greek 'To Vima' daily.

However, expectations by most experts are that the process will resume as a mere formality, as both sides remain firmly entrenched in their positions.