The strategy about the course of the name issue talks with Greece was the main topic at the coordination meeting of the state leadership called by President Gjorgje Ivanov Sunday. The meeting, which took place in the run-up to the separate meetings of negotiators Zoran Jolevski and Adamantios Vassilakis with mediator Matthew Nimetz, was attended by Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Deputy Prime Minister Musa Xhaferi and Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki.
According to unconfirmed information, Macedonia is going to build its approach to the new round of talks based on the judgment of the International Court of Justice in The Hague and is going to try and benefit from it as much as possible, Dnevnik reports.
Professor Toni Deskovski, who contributed to the preparation of the application before the International Court of Justice, suggested a few days ago ways to benefit from the judgment. In his view, Macedonia should insist on a new written deal in front of Nimetz, in which it should be stated that the country has never broken the Interim Accord, has no territorial clams and does not insist on holding the exclusive right to the name, which should help bridge the differences between Macedonia and Greece.

“After the judgment in The Hague we have a clear picture that the Greek accusations are gross lies when it comes to claiming that Macedonia is conducting irredentist politics. If we confirm now that Macedonia has no such ambitions, an agreement can easily be reached. I believe that Macedonia and Greece should state in writing that Macedonia has never violated the Interim Accord,” Deskoski told Kanal 5.

Mediator Nimetz invited last week negotiators Jolevski and Vassilakis to a meeting on 16-17 January in order to try and seek out a mutually acceptable approach, give the talks a new impetus and make considerable progress toward resolution of the issue.