“Greece’s conduct is a really bad precedent, which could become a sort of rule in the future, and the EU should be especially concerned about this. Its system of governing and remaining silent to such onslaught of blockades, vetoes, and obstructions reminds of some different times. When Czechoslovakia was annexed, no one in Europe, no European state dared stand in the way of the Nazi movement, which turned into a monster. Greece’s conduct today, in some other times, in other frames, and with other means within the frames of the EU, really could become an example of bad conduct,” Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski assessed, commenting on Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic perspectives and Slovenia’s current blockade of Croatia, at the meeting with journalists in the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts on Sunday.

The overall impression is that year 2009 will be a difficult year for Macedonia as the state will have to face big challenges, primarily due to the global economic crisis. Despite this, Macedonia expects to make progress on its path to EU integration, and membership in EU and NATO remains the state’s highest priority.

Utrinski Vesnik carries the views of a number of renowned Macedonian intellectuals, politicians, and journalists about the year ahead. Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki expresses hope that people will be able to make a clear difference between national interests and petty political interests.

With 64 votes in favor, the Parliament adopted the budget 2009 on Monday. The opposition believes the Government will not succeed in realizing the projected revenues and denounce the budget for not having taken into consideration the effects of the global financial crisis. The governing majority, on the other hand, trusts that the opposition is unnecessarily spreading fear and that the projected public investments would cushion the effects of the recession.

Bulgaria could turn into a second Greece for Macedonia by conditioning its accession to NATO and the EU. Following the example of Macedonia’s southern neighbor, Sofia is also expected to lay down numerous demands and conditions to Macedonia under the pretext of “good neighborly relations”, by taking advantage of its right to a veto in NATO and the EU, well-informed sources assessed, Nova Makedonija writes.

The relations in the coalition between VMRO-DPMNE and BDI are good, even though some individuals from both parties feel that this is not the best that we have. We maintain regular communication with the BDI leader and the party leadership, with this party's officials in the Government and their parliamentarians, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said in an interview for Alsat-M TV.

- Relations between Macedonia and Montenegro are example for region, Macedonian and Montenegrin Prime Ministers Gruevski and Djukanovic assessed at their meeting in Podgorica, on Thursday.

 

"Macedonia - Timeless" is the title of the video spot for the international tourist promotion of Macedonia directed by Milcho Manchevski that will be shown as of today on CNN and a few other world TV channels.

The amended draft budget 2009 debate begins today. The draft was previously discussed by the relevant parliamentary committee and was harshly blasted by the opposition for its size in circumstances of a financial crisis. 

- President Branko Crvenkovski met Tuesday with the Macedonian Ambassadors. They shared views and information on issues relating to Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration and the situation in the region.

Year 2009 will be a year of opportunities and challenges for Macedonia, as well as a year in which the state, with fulfilled criteria, could expect a positive recommendation as regards a date for start of the negotiations for membership in the EU, Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki assessed on the first day of the Ambassadors’ Council.

- Turkey remains Macedonia’s strongest supporter, Turkish Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan stresses in Skopje. He stated that Greece’s veto against Macedonia is damaging for NATO’s image. During his stay in Macedonia, Toptan met with President Crvenkovski. Crvenkovski and Toptan assessed that excellent political relations between two countries should be augmented with better economic relations.

•Court rules that Professor Ljubomir Frckoski has to pay Prime Minister Gruevski 30,000 euros in damages for slander.

Three well-known American film companies will film a movie on the first contingent of Macedonian troops to Iraq who saved U.S. troops and were bestowed with U.S. military decorations for this deed. The movie will be filmed based on actual events, only the names of the Macedonian troops will be changed for their protection.

- First official meeting of Macedonian and Greek representatives as regards lawsuit that Macedonia filed against Greece with International Court of Justice in The Hague will be held on 19 January. Representatives of two countries will discuss procedural issues at this meeting, which will be chaired by Rosalyn Higgins, president of International Court of Justice. Foreign Minister Milososki is Macedonia’s representative in this case, while Greece will be represented by Konstantinos Rallis, Greek ambassador to Netherlands.

It is unusual in diplomatic practice for the host to react with a note of protest during an official visit of a senior official of a foreign state, Deputy Foreign Minister Zoran Petrov stated on Tuesday, responding to a journalist’s question on whether the Macedonian Foreign Ministry would react to Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev’s inappropriate “comments” on Monday as regards the Macedonians in Bulgaria.

- Macedonian Foreign Ministry is marking 15th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations with 13 European countries. Central event will be held in House of Macedonian Army (Dom na ARM), where Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra will hold concert. Norwegian Ambassador to Macedonia Carl Wibye and French Ambassador Bernard Valero will address guests at this event.

Bulgaria supports Macedonia as regards its Euro-Atlantic integration, but it expects reciprocal relations from Macedonia. This is the message that Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev conveyed on Monday following his meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in Skopje.

“I believe that the other side will respond with reciprocity to Bulgaria’s good relations,” Stanishev stressed.

- Norway won the title at the 8th Women's Handball European Championship held in Macedonia on 2 -14 December. Macedonia, the host of the Championship, achieved great success, winning the 7th position.

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski highly appreciates the sincerity of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who stressed clearly that the name dispute is a problem for Macedonia’s entire EU integration process. Prime Minister Gruevski stated in Brussels on Thursday that the Macedonian Government had been saying the same thing as the French foreign minister, but that no one believed it.

President Crvenkovski was given strong support in Hungary from President Laszlo Solyom who promised that Hungary would not allow imposing of certain additional conditions for lifting of visas for Macedonian citizens. The Hungarian president said nobody had the right to impose on a nation its name and identity.

- EU Ambassador Erwan Fouere said the EC had positively assessed Macedonia's progress as regards the meeting of the visa liberalization criteria. Provided that the government conducts all reforms, the EC is going to propose to the EU member states to lift visas for Macedonian citizens. Fouere said Macedonia was on the right path and was a leader in meeting criteria in this regard.

The name dispute is misused by one EU member state and this fact, to a certain extent, is taking hostage the credibility of the EU, Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki assessed for EUobserver on Tuesday, following Brussels’s recommendations as regards how Macedonia should behave on the road to the EU and following French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s statement that the name dispute is Macedonia’s chief problem.

Former Prime Minister and former Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski was sentenced to a three and a half year imprisonment for procurement of spare tank parts. Former Macedonian Army General Staff Chief Metodij Stamboliski was also sentenced to a three and a half year imprisonment. Buckovski is the first former prime minister to be sentenced to imprisonment in Macedonia.

Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Ivica Bocevski met in Brussels with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and French Minister of State Jean-Pierre Jouyet within the framework of the dialogue between Macedonia and the EU two years before the end of the Stabilization and Association Agreement. It was concluded thatMacedonia achieved great progress and deserved visa liberalization.

Imer Ismaili, professor at the Stoel University, assessed that President Branko Crvenkovski's appeal for the leading European states to get more involved in the resolving of the name dispute is an indication that the United States of America would soon transfer the complicated name dispute to the European Union.

Professor Dimitar Mircev does not think that the president’s appeal indicates smaller engagement of the United States and bigger involvement of the European Union. Mircev noted that this dispute should be resolved, not because there is any security threat to Macedonia, but for stabilization of the region.

- Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki is attending OSCE Ministerial Council in Helsinki. Participants are expected to reaffirm their commitment to full accession of Southeastern European countries to EU and NATO.