The ruling of the Hague-based court, adopted by 15 votes to one, finds that Greece, by objecting to the admission of the Macedonia to NATO in April 2008, has breached its obligation not to block the country's accession to international organizations, if the country is referred to as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM).
Claims by Greece that the court has no jurisdiction to rule on the dispute have also been rejected.
Although Macedonia is recognised as the constitutional name by all EU countries except Greece, the name dispute has led to an impasse in the country's membership of both the EU and NATO.
The International court ruling is more of a symbolic nature, as it cannot impose fines on Greece or force it to refrain from similar moves. However, it does highlight that Athens' veto on launching accession negotiations with Skopje is even more unjustified.
Macedonia still finds itself unable to start talks with the EU, despite the fact that it received the status of candidate country as early as December 2005. Croatia, another former Yugoslav republic, obtained candidate status in 2004, opened negotiations in 2005 and will sign an accession treaty on Friday.
"The ruling is a step toward NATO and EU," Macedonia's foreign Minister Nikola Poposki said, as quoted by the daily Utrinski vesnik.
Poposki added that the sides should not look at each other as victors and defeated, stressing that his country's EU and NATO membership served also the interests of Greece.
"I expect that Greece will allow us to join NATO in accordance with its obligations under international law and with the support of the other NATO members," Poposki said.
However, the Greek foreign Ministry stated that the judgement did not relate, and could not relate, to the decision making process of NATO.
"Most specifically, with regard to NATO, we recall that its decisions, including those taken at the Summit in Bucharest (2008), Strasbourg (2009) and Lisbon (2010), were taken unanimously, reflecting its members shared conviction that the name issue of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia be resolved before it is invited to join the Alliance," Athens insists.
Greece calls for continuing negotiations in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable solution on the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, expressing the hope that Skopje would begin to pursue the negotiations in good faith, as the name issue could "only be resolved through negotiation under the auspices of the United Nations."
COMMENTS
The Greek foreign Ministry is just twisting the truth. They state that the decision for Macedonia not to enter NATO was done unanimously. It was not. All members of NATO have to say yes for another country to join. Greece objected so since not all countries agreed, Macedonia was denied NATO membership. And that same country said it would not block membership of Macedonia in any organization under the FYROM temporary name. The did, the court in Hague said they did. What are we missing? If they could lie about billions of dollar worth debt, they can lie about something like this as well.
makedonia and Alexander the great are greek names..and not slavic..you slavic people dont have pride and history ?Why you try to steal Greece identity and thousand years of history?Shame of you!!!!
makedonia and Alexander the great are greek names..and not slavic..you slavic people dont have pride and history ?Why you try to steal Greece identity and thousand years of history?Shame of you!!!!
give Macedonia back to Macedonians!
The 1995 agreement also included clauses against usurpation of history, irredentism, and hostile propaganda. The ICJ verdict (and the selective memory of those that are apologists for FYROM's behavior) only indicates on thing. That Greeks are facing serious prejudice against them on this issue. Identity is a human right. Not identity theft.
'We are not related to the northern Greeks who produced leaders like Philip and Alexander the Great. We are a Slav people and our language is closely related to Bulgarian.' - FYROM´s Ambassador to Canada Gyordan Veselinov, Ottawa Citizen Newspaper, February 24 1999
"We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century ... We are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians" - Kiro Gligorov, FYROM's first President, Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992
'We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great.' - FYROM'S Ambassador Ljubica Acevshka, speech to US representatives in Washington on January 22 1999
The 1995 agreement also included clauses against usurpation of history, irredentism, and hostile propaganda. The ICJ verdict (and the selective memory of those that are apologists for FYROM's behavior) only indicates on thing. That Greeks are facing serious prejudice against them on this issue. Identity is a human right. Not identity theft.
'We are not related to the northern Greeks who produced leaders like Philip and Alexander the Great. We are a Slav people and our language is closely related to Bulgarian.' - FYROM´s Ambassador to Canada Gyordan Veselinov, Ottawa Citizen Newspaper, February 24 1999
"We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century ... We are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians" - Kiro Gligorov, FYROM's first President, Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992
'We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great.' - FYROM'S Ambassador Ljubica Acevshka, speech to US representatives in Washington on January 22 1999
Please correct your article, there are over 10 EU countries not recognising the country under the name Republic of Macedonia and only using fYROM until a solution is found.
1. The ICJ did not blame greese, it SENTENCED her!
Macedonia blamed and sued greece, and the court made
verdict in Macedonia favor;
2. The court also rejected every causation from greece
about steeling history and spreading propaganda from
Macedonia, there was NO SUCH THING - the court
stated!
3. All countries recognized Macedonia under her
constitutional name Republic of Macedonia(except
greece and her satellite cuprys), and they are using
it in bilateral communication, but they accepted for
international documents to use the provisional
reference
4. The provisional reference of the country according
to the UN resolution 87 is "the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia" - and the EU and EC stated
that the acronym FYROM is, I quote "is strictly
forbidden!"
1. The ICJ did not blame greese, it SENTENCED her!
Macedonia blamed and sued greece, and the court made
verdict in Macedonia favour;
2. The court also rejected every causation from greece
about steeling history and spreading propaganda from
Macedonia, there was NO SUCH THING - the court
stated!
3. All countries recognized Macedonia under her
constitutional name Republic of Macedonia(except
greece and her satellite cuprys), and they are using
it in bilateral communication, but they accepted for
international documents to use the provisional
reference
4. The provisional reference of the country according
to the UN resolution 87 is "the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia" - and the EU and EC stated
that the acronym FYROM is, I quote "is strictly
forbidden!"
Do you greeks (former Ottoman Sanjak settelers) have any good argument when engaging in a debate or would like to comment on your atrocities - both related to the Macedonian people throughout the history, and now to the European people with the current crisis!
I can give you hundreds of quotes from your Greek officials and ACADEMIA who until the early 90's did not like to even mention the work MACEDONIA.
You have lost all INTEGRITY when it comes to politics (both domestic and foreign)
What are today? Hellenic people, therefore Greeks, and therefore Macedonians? Looks like a SANGRIA to me!
Today Greek professors at LSE in London are still teaching you that there can be no real continuation and transposition of the ancient myth of a Hellenic people, that today live in contemporary Greece! (Prof. Tsardanidis, 2010)
Yet, the world give you the opportunity to have concession on the ancient people in that region.
Greece today has move orthodox christian culture characteristic of the SLAVIC people you refer to, and more devoted Christians (not ancient barbarians) compared to any other country in the Balkan region.Does this makes you less or more Slavic in contemporary culture than Macedonians? Professors can even argue in this direction for your contemporary culture.
But other countries and your neighbors in Republic of Macedonia, also have the right to their history and culture, and dont need to go into argument about your own interpretations. History - which is a human heritage - is today your worst battle to try to fight.
Less successful you will be with your arguments on how to defy the human right to self-determination of the Macedonian people!
Last but not least, as any other country in the world, if you do have people who claim to be Macedonians living in Greece, either give them the full rights of minorities! or lose the narrative that you are Greeks and therefore Macedonians!? or whatever else you propagate to keep the impoverished and yet to be enslaved people of Greece.
And we don't feel sorry...nor EU citizens...
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