Letter of termination of negotiations with Greece

Erol Rizaov

I read several times the open letter of nearly 200 public figures, Macedonian intellectuals, addressed to the political leaders of Macedonia under the famous quote by Misirkov: “What have we done and what should be do in advance?” The reason for this address is, as they state, the deep concern about the way the Government is leading the process of talks with Greece on our constitutional name and national identity. The main point in the letter is to immediately terminate the negotiations with Greece because we can become members of NATO and the EU with our constitutional name. The work was actually very easy and simple.

The signatories, mainly university professors, academics, well-known public figures point to the great injustice done to a peaceful country that does not pose a threat to anyone, and has been blocked for 27 years with an ultimatum from its neighbor, disregarding elementary international law and universal and civilization the right guaranteed by UN resolutions on self-determination and self-identification of peoples. The signatories feel the historical responsibility not to remain silent and address not only the political leaders of Macedonia, but also the entire Macedonian and world public.
The open letter lists a series of scientific and historical facts that prove the great injustice inflicted on Macedonia. These are well-known arguments that are not silent since the first day of the imposed dispute, but have been proclaimed millions of times as irreconcilable truths and various legal interpretations in favor of Macedonia by a number of world authorities in international law, starting with the Badinter Commission, to well-known statesmen and politicians, journalists, domestic and foreign, published in the most prominent world mass media. Hundreds of open and closed letters have been addressed to the leaders of the most powerful states, some of those letters and answers to them have long been published in books. At least 20 declarations and resolutions have been adopted in the Macedonian Assembly. All this as the biggest proof is confirmed by a court verdict of the UN Court of Justice in The Hague, which states that contrary to international law, Macedonia is hindered to become a member of international associations under the name FYR Macedonia. And another strong political and moral argument, the best confirmation of the right to self-determination, is that 137 countries in the world have recognized Macedonia under the constitutional name, including the largest world powers, the United States, Russia and China.
Until now, nothing interferes in yet another of the series of public addresses to the world and to the domestic public. But already in the second part of this address, in addition to the evident entry into party issues, although the signatories say that their letter is to the government and the opposition, there is no correct answer to the first question from the title “What have we done”? We did NOTHING. For 27 years, nothing has been done, that is, nothing made the responsible Macedonian leaders achieve at least one strategic and priority goal of Macedonia. They did not make a democratic society with all the targets for protection of human rights and freedoms, they did not make a lawful state with the rule of law, they did not reduce organized crime and corruption, they did not increase the standard and quality of life of citizens, did not realize Euro-Atlantic integrations with regular membership in NATO and the EU. Although these commitments are designated in all party and state strategies and programs, and the clear determination of the majority of citizens is clear, they are not realized. It says that the elites who led the state failed to justify independence. In 27 years, the only managed to justify their failures, hiding behind the constitutional name and identity, constantly searching for others to blame, which, unfortunately, were accepted by the majority of the public.

The signatories, with all due respect to the exceptions, did not appear with their critical observation on the status-quo situation, and for installing the regime in Macedonia that stopped the development of the country, as well as the Euro-Atlantic integrations over the past ten years, which took away our friends and supporters in the world due to anti-commerce and the search for a more glorious past and shameful intervention of science in politics. We have not seen for the most part these strong names to warn the then-government about where it led Macedonia. Maybe they were silent then because they were sure that the government of Nikola Gruevski was working for the good of the people and kept Macedonia on the reform course, not to move from a place with a strong new identity at the expense of the Slavic.

The signatories demand that the talks with Greece be terminated, but there is no indication in the letter whether they accept the responsibility for the consequences of the termination of negotiations, which at the moment would be the strongest justification for the further position of the status quo of Macedonia. The answer to the second question from the title “What we need to do”, which the open-letter signatories give, is infantile and childishly naive. They say that the government should immediately address the UN General Assembly in order to put an end to the use of the FYROM reference and to adopt a resolution of the UN General Assembly that would guarantee the Republic of Macedonia a free admission to international organizations under its constitutional name. Wonderful. Bravo.

Just how easy was the work that had cost us decades. It’s just unbelievable how no one ever thought of this by now. Submit a request to the United Nations and get it done, the work with Macedonia is completed. Really incomprehensible ignorance, or better said, ignoring the differences between law, politics and interests, and the strengths of the Security Council and the veto rights. We have very quickly forgotten the response of French President François Mitterrand to Robert Badinter on the recognition of Slovenia and Macedonia. Yes, it is so in the law, but the interests of France require something else, Mitterrand said. In politics, the work is quite different. Most often, instead of and justice, interests have the advantage.

And finally, why should such a speech be in the way of Macedonia’s accession to NATO and the EU without changing the constitutional name when the first signatory of the open letter, I assume the initiator, Biljana Vankovska recently wrote publicly that even if they did not join NATO with a constitutional name, we should refuse. So that instead of hiding behind elusive commitments, the signatories should have written a telegram that we do not need neither NATO nor the EU, either constitutionally or with another name. Our identity of the most desperate European country with an uncertain future is the best solution. And so we’ll do in the future as in the past 27 years. For as long as we can.