Germany is going to argue that Macedonia should open EU membership negotiations. The government in Berlin plans to put the Macedonia-Greece name issue on the agenda for debate at the Bundestag. Germany is going to try to help resolve the name issue or make sure it does not affect Macedonia’s accession to NATO and the opening of talks with the Union.

This conclusion is inferred from the document sent by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany to MP Stefan Liebich. The letter signed by Cornelia Pieper, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, says: “In 2009 and 2010 the European Commission recommended opening of membership negotiations with Macedonia. The German government supports Macedonia’s accession but the negotiations have not yet gone underway because of the objection of Greece, which has clearly stated that it would not allow for the recommendation to be put into practice before the name issue is resolved. Minister Pieper stresses at the end of the document that the government in keeping with its powers is going to suggest that the Bundestag should debate the issue of opening membership negotiations with Macedonia.

This position ensued after MP Stefan Liebich filed an official request to the Government to present its view of the possibility for Macedonia to open soon accession talks vis-à-vis the name issue with Greece. He believes the best mediator between Macedonia and Greece is the OSCE considering that the two countries in this organization are equal.

Stefan Liebich is a deputy to the Bundestag from the political party Die Linke and is a member of the party commission for international relations, the commissions for foreign affairs, defense, culture and education of the Bundestag and the Parliamentarian Assembly of the OSCE.