UN envoy Matthew Nimetz

Nimetz conveyed this message to the Macedonian authorities in a visit aimed to gauge their feelings regarding the long-standing dispute. 


“I haven't come to Skopje with new proposals, but with the intention for finding a way to accelerate the negotiations for swift settling of this issue, as it is in the interest of the region and global security,” Nimetz told media.

After meeting Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on Monday afternoon, the UN envoy said that he was reassured by Skopje’s “sincere wish for finding a solution and for constructive negotiations with its southern neighbour”.

Athens and Skopje are locked in a two-decade long dispute over Macedonia's name. Citing the unresolved issue, Greece has blocked Macedonia’s progress towards both EU and NATO memberships.

Greece insists that use of the term "Macedonia" by its neighbour implies a territorial claim to its own northern province of the same name.

The UN envoy briefly commented about the recent judgment by the International Court of Justice, ICJ. 


In December the ICJ ruled that by blocking Macedonian NATO entry in 2008, Greece broke the 1995 UN brokered Interim Accord that regulates relations between the two states.

"In regard to the ICJ judgment, it stands by its own. The Interim Accord on the other hand is an agreement between both parties and includes many provisions - most of them facts - so the parties should respect this international agreement," Nimetz said.

The last round of UN-brokered talks on the issue, in New York in mid-January, produced no results. Nimetz nevertheless described the talks as "helpful" for the process.

His visit to the region comes ahead of the NATO summit in Chicago in May.  The summit is seen as the next opportunity for Macedonia to make a breakthrough on NATO membership.

However, few believe that, by that time, the two countries will make any significant progress.

Článok bol pôvodne publikovaný na www.balkaninsight.com.