Zaev and Dimitrov to report to Ivanov and Mickoski about the name negotiations


There will be no leadership meeting on the name issue, but Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov will inform President Gjorge Ivanov and VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski about the course of negotiations with Greece.

“I believe there will probably be meetings, or mutual information by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and, on my side, the President of the state and the head of the opposition, because they conclude that there really isn’t anything important that would be the basis for leadership meeting. We respect that. It is important for us all to be informed, and to share the ideas for the next strategic steps,” said the Prime Minister on Sunday.

The formality is, as he said, not only to inform each other, but also to consult each other on the strategies and steps that we will take to finally expect national unity and consensus in the country on such important issues. Zaev stressed that they are running a transparent process and that citizens should know this.
“It’s true that there are differences from the very beginning, there were differences in the past 27 years, but it is also true and that there is a step forward in the negotiation process. Of course, things have not been completely resolved. But first, it is good that the citizens of both countries are well-informed, the second, that never had better conditions for the negotiation process, nor more certainty for finding a solution to this serious issue,” Zaev said.

He says he only sends a message that this should be continued with mutual care for positions on the other side of the negotiations. He claims that he does not think at all about what will happen if a solution is not reached.

“Even if that happens, we will probably continue the talks. Reforms and the economy will continue in the country. This is an important path for Macedonia, and several other paths are parallel. I know that even if we do not find a solution to the issue with Greece, we must build friendship. I will continue to build friendship, I will offer my hand and I will try to find a solution in two, in five months, maybe even a year. I sincerely wish to find a solution because we have a lot to work in the future as neighboring countries. We have a lot to improve in the interest of the citizens between the two countries, so there are many other tasks besides this problem that exists between the two countries,” concluded Zaev.

It is expected that the meetings with Mickoski and Ivanov will be realized after the visit of the high officials from Brussels: Johannes Hahn and Federica Mogherini, who will stay in the country in the coming days. The High Representative for European foreign policy and security, as well as the European Commissioner for Enlargement, will come a day after the publication of Macedonia’s Progress Report, and on Thursday they will address the Assembly.
Leadership meeting, attended by DUI leader Ali Ahmeti and parliamentary speaker Talat Xhaferi, has been announced in the past fifteen days, after the meeting between Dimitrov and Kotzias in Vienna with mediator Matthew Nimetz, after which Zaev said he was more optimistic about solution to the dispute. Then it was announced that a leadership meeting would be held after the Easter holidays, that is, on April 10, but it did not come to that. Nobody said why. In Greece, for example, the authorities and the opposition immediately sat down at the table to see how things stand.

VMRO-DPMNE, however, said yesterday that a leadership meeting could be held, but only if the government and its representatives had some news about the negotiations they wanted to share.

“Otherwise, there is no need for a meeting and protocol photographing,” the opposition said, although, in the past few days, the opposition issued statements and complaints that they were not informed about what the government is negotiating and what concessions it makes.

Unofficially, they say that Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras are probably ready to reach an agreement, but are waiting for the right moment, and preparing the pitch for the news to be communicated to citizens. It is not clear how much a possible solution will protect Macedonian national interests, identity and language. Opposition officials emphasize that in his last interview, Zaev said that he is ready to resolve the name dispute, even if it meant an end to his political career, which, according to them, is a sign that the public and the citizens will be angry at the compromise reached.
“Otherwise, why would he withdraw? On the contrary … “ respond representatives from VMRO-DPMNE.

After the meeting in Vienna, Minister Dimitrov informed Prime Minister and Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi on separate meetings, but did not hold such meetings with the President of the country nor with the leader of VMRO-DPMNE. On January 27, at the MPs’ Club, the only coordinative meeting of the state-political leadership on the name talks was attended by President Gjorge Ivanov, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, DUI leader Ali Ahmeti and VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski.