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“What would happen if they had to write a statement with ‘North Macedonia’ in it and then read it out loud? This policy is not sustainable in the long run and will not allow them to play their due role in the international community,” Nimitz believes.
In an interview titled “Let’s Think About What They Gained from Prespa”, the UN Special Representative, Matthew Nimitz, spoke about the benefits of the agreement, but also about the attitude of the new Macedonian government.
Nimitz said sometimes when someone is in a difficult situation, “the best approach is to recognize the difficulty and decide to overcome it,” which he said is not uncommon in the new administration because, he said, political coverage is often published without any in-depth consideration of all the implications.
“If someone is on the wrong track, the best solution is to correct himself when he realizes it. A confident and psychologically strong person will do this quickly. There may be some arguments for a week or so, but things will soon become more constructive. Other leaders and the public will recognize the corrective measures and respect the leader who made the adjustments. Based on this philosophy of dealing with reality, I think the leadership should realize that “Republic of North Macedonia” is the name of the country, which is beautifully and honestly recognized throughout the world, in the United Nations, NATO and the European Union, and it is a name they should be proud of,” said Nimitz.
He said the new government “should take some time, without making too many statements, to think calmly about what its policy will be towards Greece, other neighbours, the European Union and especially within the country,” noting that “they won an impressive political victory, but this support can be easily lost.”
“The country’s leaders must realize that times are dangerous, especially for a small country in an unstable region. Building positive relations with neighbors should be a top priority. I no longer serve in any formal or informal role. I have completely withdrawn from public life. But if I had to give advice to Skopje, I would urge them to focus 80% of their energy on implementing internal reforms in the areas of anti-corruption, strong public governance, rule of law, education, economic development and building constructive international relations. Also, to persist in efforts to enter the European Union despite disappointments,” Nimitz said.
Regarding the remaining 20% of energy and what the new government should use it for, the mediator commented that they should work constructively and that the priority should be first and foremost to resolve outstanding issues with Bulgaria, “but also to normalize the abruptly interrupted relations with Greece”, while of course continuing to work on other regional and broader foreign policy priorities.
The mediator said in an interview that his impression was that neither leader was fully enthusiastic and that both sides were focused on what they thought they had given up rather than what they would gain from resolving the dispute.
He noted that “the Treaty of Prespa was the final step in a series of events that shaped the modern form of the Macedonian region,” as he said the withdrawal from the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, World War I, the creation and disintegration of Yugoslavia, World War II, the Greek Civil War, the fragmentation of the Cold War, the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia, and the creation of new states in the region, all of which had to be accommodated nearby.
“This adjustment is still ongoing, as the Republic of North Macedonia needs to have good relations with all its neighbors, most of which are established states for decades with long-standing policies regarding their security and history,” the mediator said.
He further noted that the Prespa Agreement showed that differences could be resolved through compromise, “guaranteeing the vital interests of both parties.”
On the importance of the name issue, past and present, he explained, “To those not directly involved, the so-called name dispute may seem unimportant, especially in light of the major conflicts going on in the world.
“But the dispute is particularly important both in itself and from the perspective of regional stability and European integration. Prespa is a model for the region because it shows that two countries can resolve thorny bilateral disputes on their own. Historically, major events in Central and Southeast Europe have often been determined by external powers. In the region, they are used to looking to Istanbul, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow, Washington or Dayton for solutions. In the future, it would be better if the region’s leaders have the courage and confidence to resolve their problems immediately. This would be a sign of maturity,” Nimitz noted.
The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General was awarded the “Prespa Peace Prize” in recognition of his contribution to the resolution of problems between the two countries during the International Conference on Peace and Sustainable Development, organized by the “Alexis Tsipras Institute” and the “Zayev Foundation” in Athens on Monday and Tuesday.
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