Greece and Macedonia agreed on 11 measures that will work to strengthen confidence and create a favorable climate for overcoming the name dispute. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kodzias and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Poposki, during today’s meeting in the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did not bring any concrete conclusion for shifting the red lines regarding the name dispute, but confirmed the agreement on the cooperation in several areas, which will help deepen bilateral understanding and cooperation, which would then be slowly brought to resolving the dispute.
Increasing communication and melting the decade ice was the main conclusion of the meeting. The measures will be aimed at strengthening the economic and trade cooperation, by strengthening business relations and organizing business forums, stronger political cooperation through frequent meetings and political consultations between the two ministries, improving energy, transport and infrastructure links, cooperation in healthcare and greater cooperation on cultural and educational level, including universities, research and scientific institutes, and cooperation on legal issues such as better exchange of information, greater cooperation between border forces in order to combat illegal migration and organized crime.
– We are making a step to take an active approach and to encourage practical cooperation. The weakest link in the past few decades in our bilateral relations is, of course, trust, which apparently is not sufficiently high, the strongest link was the interest and motivation of our citizens, businesses and societies to connect and collaborate – said Poposki.
According to Minister Poposki, this list of 11 measures, which will be further expanded, is a good basis to improve the climate between the two countries. Poposki said that the weakest link between the two countries is the lack of confidence, and, without it, is impossible to solve a major issue, such as the name dispute.
Poposki assessed that there is a tradition of mistrust between the two countries which can be overcome jointly through collaboration. His assessment is that a climate in order to address the name dispute, which for so many years in standstill precisely because there are no adequate conditions for dealing with it will be created through the cooperation.
Kodzias made clear that confidence-building measures are necessary for Macedonia and Greece, indicating that people who trust each other can then have an understanding and overcome all problems. Greek FM noted that Greece is working to contribute to the stability and security of the region and tries to help prompt integration of Macedonia into the European family and NATO, as a state with full European values.
– We want all our neighbors to be part of the EU, to have a legal state, economic development, and because my country depends largely on what happens on the Balkans. Within the way for building trust, we agreed on 11 measures. I believe that there will be others in the future and I believe we will have the opportunity to discuss and resolve the name dispute within the international law and good-neighborly relation – Kodzias noted, adding that, although there is disagreement over the name dispute, every problem has a solution.
He underlined that at a time when globalization creates problems and when European unity is difficult, Macedonia and Greece, as neighboring countries, have to stabilize their relationships, frequency of contacts and deepen relationships.
He urged us not to allow to be enslaved by history, but to learn from it. According to Kodzias, Balkans has a strange behavior that leads to two dangers – nations to remain trapped in history and to create more history than can be consumed.
– History is important to us, but history should be a school, not a prison, we should to learn from it. We have learned that development, security and stability on the Balkans are needed to all of us, as well as cooperation on it from all sides – added Kodzias.
He also recommended that it is necessary for the one, but from the other side as well, to give up irredentism and extreme nationalism. Referring to the Macedonian irredentism, he noted that he believes that the Macedonian government has no territorial claims but indirectly addressed the works of former Foreign Minister Antonio Miloshoski, such as his waiving of the flag of Vergina on Mount Olympus or creating maps with parts of Greece.
– Everyone is entitled to their own identity. But not the way used to create impressions that will come to its abuse. If former politician raise flag that is not legal on Olympus, for no reason – it’s irredentism. When you create maps that integrate parts from another country, it’s irredentism – emphasized Kodzias.
