Greece argues that Macedonia should change its name if it wishes to enter NATO and eventually the European Union. Athens says that the name ‘Republic of Macedonia’ implies Skopje’s territorial claims over Greece’s own northern province which is also called Macedonia.
“Athens’ demand that Skopje resolves the name dispute is backed by NATO and the United Nations,” Bakoyannis told the Spiegel daily rebuffing Skopje’s accusations that Greece is acting stubbornly and rejecting a compromise.
Last month Macedonia took Greece before the International Court of Justice arguing that Athens broke the 1995 UN interim accord in April blocked Skopje’s bid to join NATO.
Among other things, the accord bounds Greece not to block its smaller neighbour’s membership in international organisations if Skopje applies using the provisional reference, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
“Taking your case to court doesn’t automatically make you right. We can’t accept a country that simply wants to preserve yesterday’s Balkans political logic and is now dreaming of a Greater Macedonia. The current rhetoric of the government in Skopje does not allow for good neighbourly relations,” Bakoyannis said.
However, she acknowledged that a compromise is important for the stability and the security of the overall region.
The ongoing UN-sponsored talks for reaching a settlement between the two sides have intensified since April.
Although both countries claim that they remain committed to the talks, there has been a practical stalemate since Macedonia’s court move.
