Historic step: Macedonia and Greece exchanged draft confidence building measures

Greece and Macedonia exchanged draft confidence building measures and now they are considered in Skopje and Athens, confirmed representatives of the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for META.
Although they didn’t reveal any details yet, representatives of our MFA said that “after the two sides will review the draft measures, they will state their opinion regarding their content.”
– Yes, we confirm that we have exchanged proposals for confidence building measures. They are subject to review, after which, the two sides will state their opinion – replied MFA to the question of META whether Greece sent draft confidence building measures to MFA.
This is the first known case both sides to exchange documents for confidence building from the beginning of the dispute, with the exception of the signing of the Interim Accord of 13th of September 1995 in New York.
This development shows that Skopje and Athens adhere to the contract maximally and strictly.
Namely, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 18th of March announced for META that Athens needed a month to come up with the draft measures.
One day later, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kodzias, in addressing the Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, announced April as a deadline.
Kodzias then said that confidence building measures would be submitted and discussed with the Macedonian side in April and, mainly, would refer to the smaller and more practical things that can neutralize part of the differences and tensions that exist between the two countries.
– Measures of confidence, above all, will be to solve some practical issues, second – to build better trust and third – to facilitate negotiations at the United Nations to the extent that it would be possible – said Kodzias.
Kodzias delivered the idea of confidence building measures to the Minister Nikola Poposki on the margins of the informal meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Riga, held early last month.