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Solving the Name Issue: an Act of Political Bravery with a High Political Price

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Solving the Name Issue: an Act of Political Bravery with a High Political Price Geographical Overview | Western Balkans Solving the Name Issue: An Act Panorama of Political Bravery with a High Political Price Ana Petruseva by Foreign Minister and later Prime Minister Antonis Director Samaras, was able to impose a common Greek line, BIRN North Macedonia, Skopje insisting that no solution to the “name issue” would Balkan Investigative Reporting Network be agreed to which contained the term “Macedonia.” Furthermore, accession to the UN and recognition by the EC were delayed by Greek pressure. Geographical Overview | Western Balkans The conflict between the now renamed Republic of Under much international pressure, both sides even- North Macedonia and Greece over the use of the tually agreed to the country’s UN membership under term “Macedonia” started at the beginning of the the provisional reference of “the former Yugoslav 1990s and escalated after the Greek veto on the Republic of Macedonia,” which was to be used until country’s NATO accession in 2008. What followed a solution to the issue was found. Greece also was a decade of nationalist escalation, until the po- agreed not to block Macedonia’s accession to inter- litical constellation was right for a change. In late national bodies under the provisional reference. 2017, a process was set in motion that would lead to Following a worsening political climate in both coun- 183 the signing of the Prespa agreement on 12 June tries, an 18-month Greek economic embargo, and 2018. The two main actors, Prime Ministers Zoran under intense diplomatic pressure, an interim accord Zaev and Alexis Tsipras concluded the agreement, was reached in 1995, leading to changes in Macedo- despite fierce criticism in their respective countries, nia’s constitution and national symbols, and enabling and had to pay a high political price. As a result, the country to access international organizations, North Macedonia’s international political blockade such as the OSCE, under the provisional reference. has come to an end: the process of acquiring NATO membership has been set in motion and the EU Council is expected to approve the start of accession A Possible Mediated Formula negotiations with North Macedonia in June 2019. The process of finding a mediated solution to the name issue was taken over by the UN, where it re- Macedonia’s Slippery Start mained until 2018. A variety of proposals were ta- bled by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, and it be- The new country’s slipping into independence as a came increasingly clear that a formula that would be 2019 result of Yugoslavia’s disintegration was bumpy from acceptable to both sides would include some kind of the very beginning. Surrounded by less than friendly a geographic qualifier, thus delimiting the Macedo- states, it was left defenceless and in the hands of nian State from the whole region, and especially the mostly inexperienced politicians. A number of unin- northern Greek region of Macedonia. spired symbolic gestures offered a broad platform The main difference was in the Greek insistence that for Greek nationalists to contest the name of the this composite name would be used “erga omnes,” State – Republic of Macedonia –, and claim owner- while the Macedonian position varied, but mainly Mediterranean Yearbook ship of the name (“Macedonia is Greek”) for the en- foresaw a double formula, with the composite name Med. Med. tire region. Nationalist pressure, orchestrated largely to be used internationally, while the constitutional IE name “Republic of Macedonia” would continue to be brought him onto the path of the so-called “antiqui- valid internally. zation,” i.e. redefining Macedonian identity as being Panorama However, the mediation process was permanently that of descendants of Alexander the Great. undermined by political gestures and pressure in However, this partial mystification of a political de- both countries. Besides this, one contentious issue feat simplifies matters. Among nationalists, the the- was the depth of the issues to be negotiated. While sis that claimed Macedonians were not only Slavs, the UN’s position was that the name of the country but also had more “noble,” ancient roots, was not was the only issue of the mediation process, both new. Besides, shortly after coming to power in 2006, sides expressed fears over issues of identity, includ- Gruevski’s government renamed the Skopje airport ing the name of the people and the language. “Alexander the Great.” This was a gesture whose aim was mainly internal, to restore national pride, etc. It was also, of course, quite a childish provocation of The process of finding a mediated Greek nationalists, which especially the then Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis was glad to use as a pre- solution to the name issue was taken text to harden the Greek position. over by the UN, where it remained Geographical Overview | Western Balkans until 2018 Nationalist Excesses What followed the NATO debacle was a decade of In general, the Greek side was in no hurry to resolve nationalist excess in Macedonia. Nikola Gruevski’s the issue, as it evolved into a political career enabler, government put into action a master plan that was the most prominent example of this being Antonis based on the idea of redefining national identity. Samaras. On the other hand, the Macedonian State Public places were renamed, the content of school- 184 became more and more desperate in its attempt to books was revised accordingly, civic education was avoid isolation, especially after its official application scrapped from the education curricula, and a myriad for EU accession in 2005. of increasingly aggressive publications flooded the For more than two decades, neither of the two sides market. Within a decade, the government managed found the courage or opportunity to make a decisive to implement almost total state capture, including step towards a solution. Indeed, positions became control of the media, ensuring that the new ideology increasingly entrenched and during the decade of would be propagated on all channels. nationalist rule in Macedonia, policies were directed at actually deepening the rift, making a solution in- creasingly improbable. The Greek side was in no hurry to resolve the issue, as it evolved into The Bucharest Trauma a political career enabler, the most prominent example of this being The NATO summit in Bucharest in April 2008 saw a Antonis Samaras last minute change of heart, when a draft resolution 2019 including an invitation for Macedonia to join under the provisional reference was altered at the insist- ence of Greece. This de facto veto was a blow to the The most visible manifestation of what came to be face of US diplomacy, which had become more in- known as “antiquization” was the revamping of the volved and created an atmosphere of optimism re- capital Skopje’s central area into an absurd, dysto- garding NATO accession. pian agglomeration of random statues and buildings Mediterranean Yearbook The humiliation suffered by Macedonian Prime Min- in an imitation of neo-classicism. At the centre of all ister Gruevski has been described by many as so this was a 20-metre statue of Alexander, named in Med. Med. IE traumatic that it determined a change of heart and Gruevski’s typically childish and “witty” manner “War- rior on Horse.” The official explanation for the statue’s about a change of paradigm in Greece, putting an name was that they did not want to offend Greece. end to the rule of traditional parties. Both politicians Of course, this was a barely disguised frontal blow, have defined themselves as non-nationalist, and both Panorama meant as revenge. ran on promises to change traditional patterns of Needless to say that this was fuel for Greek national- policymaking in their respective countries. Zaev first ists. Moderate positions towards the name issue be- invested time and energy in a bilateral treaty of good came less and less tenable. The more Greece neighbourly relations with Bulgaria, and in improving slipped into its financial and economic crisis, with relations with Albania and Kosovo. extremist parties emerging and gaining massive sup- Following some informal, preliminary sounding out port, especially in the north, the less a solution to the sessions, the two leaders expressed a will to resolve Macedonian name issue seemed probable. Despite the issue. The UN mediation process was revived in a number of solutions being discussed, the media- early 2018 and resulted in some concrete propos- tion process did not enjoy any success. als, including the one eventually adopted. In a joint show of good will at the World Economic Forum in Davos, both prime ministers made optimistic decla- What followed the NATO debacle rations. A series of confidence-building measures were agreed upon, such as renaming Skopje’s air- Geographical Overview | Western Balkans was a decade of nationalist excess port and the main highway through the country, and in Macedonia. Nikola Gruevski’s putting an end to the policy of “antiquization.” government put into action a master The UN mediation process was put into the hands of plan that was based on the idea of foreign ministers Dimitrov and Kotzias, and by June 2018, an agreement was reached. This put an end redefining national identity to the interim accord and relations between the two countries have been gradually normalized. Greece lifted its veto on Macedonia’s NATO membership 185 The International Court of Justice Ruling and EU accession. NATO then extended an invita- tion to North Macedonia to join the organization. This In 2008, following the Greek refusal to allow NATO will happen as soon as all members have ratified the accession, the Macedonian government filed a com- decision. EU accession talks are expected to start in plaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), July 2019. accusing Greece of breaching the interim agree- ment from 1995.
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