In the capacity of chairman of VMRO-DPMNE, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski sent a letter to all party members Tuesday, calling on them to mobilize. According to A1 TV, Gruevski says in the letter “it is time for a final battle against politicians that left behind waste and misery and brought apathy, crime, lies, and twisted values. It is time to thwart their attempts for taking Macedonian citizens and Macedonia hostage again.”
Gruevski calls in his letter for aid from his supporters in ending the decades-long strenuous transition. He explains that the global economic crisis has come in the way of this effort but the biggest impediment of all is the transition politicians’ reactivation.
- President Gjorge Ivanov sent letters to the presidents of the EU member states, calling for support for setting Macedonia a date for starting EU accession talks on 7 December. He believes this would confirm the reputation and credibility of the Union in the region and is going to contribute to stability and progress.
The Republic of Macedonia remains dedicated in the UN-sponsored negotiations and despite the extreme positions of Greece, Macedonia expects Athens to stay observant to the benchmarks of the temporary agreement. This was established at Monday’s Government consultations. Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki stressed that the extreme demands of Greece did not present a big surprise to Macedonia. Milososki stated that ambassador Jolevski is going to keep political parties informed of the negotiation talks. Present at the meeting was the President Gjorge Ivanov, PM Nikola Gruevski, Depury Prime Minister Abdylaqim Ademi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Milososki and Ambassador Zoran Jolevski.
Macedonia and Greece are getting ever more distant from reaching a compromise over the name issue, Dnevnik says today, and, according to Utrinski vesnik, the political public in the country follows very attentively how the situation, which becomes dramatic, develops.
Nova Makedonija and Vecer appeal for termination of talks, citing the Greek demands that are almost identical to those of 1992. Not only does Greece want the name to change for international use, but it also demands that the name for internal use, as well as the name of the nation and language change. Macedonia would be only allowed to use “Republic of Macedonia” inside the country in an informal communication. Greece also demands that Macedonia instructs all 126 countries that have recognized it with its constitutional name to accept the new name. The present use of “Macedonia” for commercial reasons would be unacceptable. The international code MK will also have to change. Greece insists that “Northern” precedes “Macedonia” in the new name.
Prime Minister Gruevski refused to comment on the maximalist Greek demands. Diplomatic sources told Dnevnik that the Macedonian Government offered nothing new and did not express readiness to finish the whole process by 7 December. It is also possible for the reason for these Greek demands to be Macedonia’s announcement that it would cut off talks if it gets vetoed again in Brussels.
- Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Vasko Naumovski sent letters to the EU member states asking that the country be set a date for starting accession talks on 7 December. The letter explains that the perspective for starting talks sooner is going to motive all factors in the country to conduct reforms, as Macedonia will stay committed to resolving the name issue in a constructive and flexible way in the spirit of the European cooperation and good neighborly relations.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said Wednesday that the second Greek veto, this time round on the setting of a date for starting EU accession talks, would mean that Athens did not want to resolve the name issue. He said he hoped the Council of Ministers would set a date for starting talks with Macedonia in December and that the other side in the dispute would thus demonstrate a will to solve the problem. He believes the Greek veto on Macedonia’s accession to NATO was bad for everyone.
Macedonian Foreign Minister Milososki asked in Brussels that Macedonia and Greece should resolve the issue by the model of Croatia and Slovenia. He expressed readiness for the solution to be looked for in direct meetings between Skopje and Athens. According to Utrinski vesnik’s correspondent, the Macedonian minister elevated this to the level of an official position at the debate of the foreign policy committee of the European Parliament. According to Milososki, every delay is going to discourage Macedonia, especially the young generation wishing to see their country in the EU.
Two decades of the fall of the Berlin wall, Macedonia is trying to topple another wall – the Schengen wall – and to make progress in the process of European integration. This is one of the messages of the public debate that on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall took place at President Gjorge Ivanov’s residence Monday.
The Macedonian president said some of the problems Macedonia faced now were a result of the Cold War and the incapacity of the political structures to take timely action and cut off completely all ties with the old system. According to the Macedonian president, one of those problems is the name issue. He said he hoped that the lustration process would help Macedonia lustrate itself from this “gangrene” that does not let normal development of the new system.
- Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki is going to address the foreign policy commission of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday and call for support for setting Macedonia a date for starting accession talks. He will also reaffirm Macedonia’s achievements in the implementation of the priorities of the European Partnership and the Copenhagen Criteria. He will also meet the European Parliament rapporteur on Macedonia, Zoran Tahler.
- The Euro Balkan Institute issued a brochure sending out a message that Macedonia’s decision to step out of the name issue talks is completely legitimate if it assesses that it is justified. This institute believes the identity must not be a subject of discussion under any circumstances since it concerns the right to self-determination.
Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said Thursday that Matthew Nimetz’s initiative to set the next round of talks between Macedonia and Greece for 16 November is right on time and likely to give a new impetus to the dialogue between the two countries. Milososki also said direct meetings between high-ranking officials from both countries were also possible.
“Our position in the dispute and the dialogue will be such that will ensure that the negotiating process moves ahead. Also, everything will be in keeping with the constitutional norms of the Republic of Macedonia and in the spirit of the Interim Accord of 1995,” Minister Milososki said.
- The Macedonian leadership welcomes the continuation of the talks under UN auspices set for 16 November in New York. The talks are said to be conducted over the scope of use of the name “Republic of Northern Macedonia”. Both parties had numerous remarks regarding this proposal, but have never rejected it.
The European Parliament is going to consider today the report on Macedonia from the Parliament’s new rapporteur Zoran Tahler. Utrinski vesnik’s Brussels-based correspondent says that Tahler was shocked by the fact how fast he was put on the agenda for debate and how little time he had to finish his report.
The correspondent reports that the resolution of the European Parliament, requesting of the countries of the Western Balkans to do all in their power to resolve the bilateral disputes was debated Wednesday, too.
- Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki met in Brussels Dominique Tielmans, senator from Belgium and president of the Group for Cooperation with Macedonia, and expressed gratitude to all the efforts Belgium made in helping Macedonia’s European integration. The senator said Belgium would continue helping Macedonia’s European integration for it believes in the future of the country, which was currently facing a huge challenge.
Macedonia may avoid the Greek veto at the EU in December provided it signs a guarantee that it is ready to resolve the name issue over a certain period of time, diplomatic sources assess.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski categorically confirmed Friday that the name issue resolution had to be verified by the people in a referendum. “The name dispute is a historical matter and only people can decide it. Politicians, on the other hand, may only voice their opinion. For me, this is a closed matter. Without asking people what they think of the proposed resolution, the name issue cannot be solved,” the prime minister said.
The Prime Ministers of Macedonia and Greece, Nikola Gruevski and George Papandreou, held their first official meeting in Brussels on Thursday, at which the main topic was the name issue and the possibility for both parties to reach a mutually acceptable solution.
This was the first meeting of prime ministers of Macedonia and Greece since 2006 when Vlado Buckovski met Kostas Karamanlis. Dnevnik reports today that both prime ministers agreed it was important to find a mutually acceptable solution under UN auspices. A diplomat from Gruevski’s Office, Dnevnik says, confirmed there would not be direct talks between Athens and Skopje and the EU would not assume the role of a mediator.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski called on the new Greek government to attribute to the name issue top priority and to seriously approach the resolution of this problem, because the policies of blockades do not contribute to making progress in the region.
At the press conference with EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana in Brussels on Wednesday, the Macedonian prime minister stressed that Macedonia remained committed to its reform, which the European Commission has recently assessed as positive and has therefore recommended accession talks. Gruevski did not answer a reporter’s question as to whether or not a referendum should be held in Macedonia on this issue, while Solana said a referendum was not the best solution to problems in parliamentary democracies.
Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski is to meet with European commissioner Olli Rehn and EU high commissioner Javier Solana in Brussels, today. Journalists speculate possible bilateral meeting of Gruevski-Papandreou on the sidelines of the EU summit.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd signed a social insurance agreement in Canberra Monday. Some 4,000 citizens of Macedonia and Australia will thus be able to exercise their right to pension more easily. Prime Minister Gruevski was welcomed with the highest state honors, which may be seen as a positive sign that the Australian position to recognizing Macedonia’s constitutional name is changing.
The Macedonians from the diaspora should all be united in meeting Macedonia’s strategic and national interests, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said Sunday at his meeting with Macedonians in Australia, who, in his view, are an integral part of the Macedonian social fabric.
Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski met his new Greek counterpart Evangelos Venizelos in Sofia, Bulgaria, at the sidelines of the meeting of ministers of defense of Southeast Europe. The Macedonian defense minister invited his counterpart to visit Macedonia.
“I had a brief conversation with Minister Venizelos. I invited him to visit Macedonia either officially or unofficially. We talked about continuing cooperation between our two ministries and armies that was in a way interrupted in 2007,” Minister Konjanovski said.
The Government is considering drafting a media law, Vest has learned. The paper says this has been discussed at Prime Minister Gruevski’s office. The principal argument in favor of adopting such a law is said to be the intention of bringing order to the media industry. People close to the prime minister say the law on media is not an unknown practice in the EU.
The Association of Journalists also believes it is necessary to bring order to the industry and its President Robert Popovski argues the law should be drafted by reporters rather than be imposed by the Government.
- Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said Tuesday the bilateral issue with Greece was very important, Macedonia devoted to it great attention and would do anything to solve it. “However, we expect the shared European values to be in the foreground and the European integration not to be held hostage of bilateral problems,” he said in response to EC President Barroso’s message that the accession talk recommendation should be an encouragement to both parties to resolve the name issue.
All media comment that the date for starting accession talks with the European Union depends on whether the name issue between Macedonia and Greece is resolved. Following the euphoria of the good news from Brussels, newspapers say that the Government is forming teams to start the talks and intensifies contacts with the business community, which is expected to provide suggestions about the chapters pertaining to the economy.
While commentaries from Greece mentioning the “Greek national red line”, according to which “FYROM is not going to be set a date for starting EU accession talks unless the name issue is resolved”, are being given much attention in Macedonian media, Macedonian government officials reiterate that they remain fully committed to starting membership negotiations.
President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov is satisfied with EC recommendation and believes that this is an important step for all Macedonian citizens.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski stated that yesterday was a historical date for the citizens of Macedonia and added that Macedonia is to continue carry out reforms.
The European Commission recommended opening of accession talks between the EU and Macedonia, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said at the press conference in Brussels today, at which the report on Macedonia’s progress for 2009 was presented.
“The country made considerable progress and successfully addressed the key reform priorities, also known as 8+1 benchmarks. The European Commission believes the country meets the Copenhagen criteria and these elements made it possible for the EC to recommend membership negotiations. I believe the Government in Skopje is going to see this as a very strong impetus and an encouragement to finally resolve the name issue, which has been here for 18 years now,” Rehn said.
- Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki was given a guarantee from Olli Rehn in Brussels that Macedonia would be given today a recommendation for starting EU accession talks. Minister Milososki was also notified that the EC would not condition the recommendation with the resolution of the name issue with Greece.
Macedonia is going to be given a recommendation for starting accession talks, which is not going to be conditioned. However, Macedonia will be reminded that the resolution of the name issue is the only obstacle on the country’s path toward the EU, a diplomatic source from Brussels says. Greece is said not to have opposed this broad formulation.
