The Polish authorities have recognised that they can condescend to the Lithuanians. The famous declaration of the Prime Minister that the relations with Lithuania will be determined by the local Polish community, was followed by gestures and counter-gestures. I wonder whether the Polish President is satisfied to hear the Lithuanian partner saying that she did not come to Warsaw before the NATO summit because decisions are made in Washington. In a moment it will turn out that the proud Poland withdraws from patrolling the Lithuanian airspace and in this place will be someone else, such as the Norwegians.

This mechanism works even more acutely in the European Union. Poland is struggling to maintain the Cohesion Fund, which will give us a chance to complete infrastructure projects. The country fights, however, the more and more alone. The Baltic states do not support us. Romania and Bulgaria have other problems (Schengen), the Czechs speak the language of the net payers (?) and on our side so far is Slovakia…

In relations with Lithuania, Poland goes down a blind alley. We assumed that we must force our reasons and yet it appears that the small one finds support much easier than we thought, and not necessarily in Moscow.

I quote:

“The Germany-based, non-profit research and policy institute European Stability Initiative (ESI) has said the European Union’s current visa policy regarding Turkey is illegal and in violation of its own legal obligations, not to mention unsustainable.

In a newsletter the ESI posted on its website titled “The time is now: Changing EU visa policy on Turkey,” it says Turkey is the only EU candidate country without a visa-free travel agreement with the EU. Moldova and Ukraine, which have yet to receive any promise of membership, are participating in an EU visa liberalization process. There are even discussions about visa-free travel for Russians, the institute says. Mexicans, Brazilians, Guatemalans, Israelis and Malaysians can all travel to the EU without a visa, while citizens of Turkey — which applied for EU membership in 1959 and has been negotiating with the bloc since 2005 — still cannot travel to EU member states without a visa.

According to the ESI, there are three major problems with the EU’s current policy. First, it violates the EU’s own legal commitments. Second, it undermines the bloc’s vital security interests. Finally, it is based on mistaken assumptions.

In 1963, Turkey signed an Association Agreement with the EU. A protocol to this agreement states that both sides “shall refrain from introducing between themselves any new restrictions on the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services.”

The ESI points out a court decision in the case of a Turkish national arrested by the German federal police at the country’s border with the Czech Republic in August 2009. Even though the man had entered Germany without a visa in order to buy a car, a local court in the city of Cham ordered his immediate release, noting that as a Turkish national he could “rely on visa-free travel according to the so-called standstill clause,” which refers to the aforementioned protocol.

The ESI cites in the newsletter a stream of European court rulings which have confirmed Turks’ right to travel to a number of EU member states in the past few years. In February 2009, the European Court of Justice ruled that Turkish truck drivers Mehmet Soysal and İbrahim Şavatlı, as service providers, did not need a visa to enter Germany. In November 2010, a Turkish tourist entering Germany from Poland without a visa was arrested for illegal immigration and sent to prison. Based on these rulings, the institute has come up with the conclusion that the current Schengen visa requirement, and the EU regulations on which it is based, are illegal and that EU working groups often ignore that when it comes to the visa issue Turkish citizens already have legal rights inside the EU.”

Yours sincerely,

Cem

Derviş gives three advices to Turkey

I quote:

“Brookings Institute’s Vice President Kemal Derviş made some special remarks on Turkey’s economy following a meeting of the Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association (TASSA) in which academics working in the US come together. Speaking to the Sabah daily, Derviş said that it was almost impossible not to be affected by the eurozone crisis and that Turkey has become more resistant to foreign disruptions, because it has diversified its export in the last decade. Derviş said he didn’t expect any economic downturn despite the negative course in Europe, adding that the credit policy applied by the European Central Bank could not solve the problem but lessened its strength. Derviş stated that despite the positive outlook of Turkish economy, there were three important points to be watched. “Firstly, Turkey should make more savings and investments. Secondly, it should finance investments by its own resources, and finally it should decrease its current deficit to 5-6%,” said Derviş.”

Always available and ready to help.

Yours faithfully,

Cem

PS. As Ozay Mehmet, Derviş too would say: “Bail out the unemployed, rather than the banks!”.

Ethnic Serbs living in northern Kosovo – municipalities of Zubin Potok, Zvecan, northern Mitrovica and Leposavic – have been voting in a two-day referendum on February 14.-15. The question was simple: Voters were asked simply ”Do you accept the institutions of the so-called ‘Republic of Kosovo’ established in Pristina?”. Turnout was at 75.28%. Final results will be made known on February 19th – just after the fourth anniversary of Kosovo’s independence declaration – but early estimate is that 99.74 % were against Pristina’s sovereignty. In Kosovo case the figure probably reflects good the opinion of local Serb population. The result shows that the barricades against EULEX were not just the work of “criminals” and “radicals” but instead have real popular support.

One should note that question about northern municipalities of Kosovo is only one – even if a core one – aspect in Kosovo framework. During NATO-bombing and after ethnic cleansing implemented by Kosovo Albanians, nearly 200.000 Serbs and Romas escaped to Serbia where they are living like internal refugees many of them in temporary conditions. Despite naïve multiethnic ideas in Brussels they have not any intentions to risk their lives by returning hostile environment and their destroyed homes. In my opinion international community – which allowed this problem to happen – should finance a housing program in Serbia for these refugees (or officially IDPs). Second core question is the fate of some half of remaining Kosovo Serbs namely those who are living in isolated enclaves outside northern municipalities in Kosovo. These enclaves are protected by KFOR troops and should be so long as Pristina administrated part of Kosovo is so hostile as it still is.

High Tension in Kosovo North

Tension has been high in northern Kosovo since last July. The situation escalated when Kosovo Serbs put up roadblocks and barricades to stop the deployment of Kosovo customs officers to border points between north Kosovo municipalities and Serbia. Several rounds of violence has occurred; a Kosovo policeman was killed and several NATO troops injured. The north was the scene of unrest in November, when some 50 soldiers from the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force were hurt in a dispute between the two sides over control of border crossings. This Pristina’s failed attempt to seize the northern boundary with support by EULEX and KFOR have demonstrated that using force does not solve dispute.

The governing coalition in Belgrade has called on the Serbs to end the blockade, refrain from violence and abandon the referendum and same time several EU nations, especially Germany, want Serbia’s government to make deals with Pristina so that Serbia could get EU candidate status this Spring.

In Brussels, the EU said it was preparing for a new round of talks between Belgrade and Pristina aimed at easing tensions in northern Kosovo. “There is a particular situation in the north that needs a solution, but neither violence nor barricades, or a referendum contributes to it,” EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said. “Only a dialogue can achieve that.” (Source AP ) Earlier the EU pressured Serbia intensely in November and December, demanding that it force the northern Kosovo Serbs to remove their barricades in the name of “freedom of movement”. KFOR fought several actions against barricades, inflicting – and taking – casualties.

Time to Exit-strategy?

However the western powers have on the drawing board also an other strategy of fostering change to avoid reinforcing the status quo in the north. The press in Pristina has reported about secret meetings between the Kosovo government, the US ambassador and chief of the International Civilian Office (ICO), Pieter Feith,on a new plan to push the UN out of the north. An “EU House” will be established in the north to promote the “European perspective” and to cooperate with “progressive forces” willing to work with Pristina, “parallel” municipalities in the north would remain unrecognized and “Advisory Councils led by moderate Kosovo Serbs” chosen by Pristina taking place from democratically elected bodies in Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan. To make space for these innovations the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Administration in Mitrovica (UAM), that administers north Mitrovica under UN Security Council Resolution 1244, will be closed.

Also the International Steering Group (ISG) had meeting on January 24^th in Vienna to deside its 2012 program for Kosovo. Despite its name ISG represents only countries which have advocated Kosovo Albanian separatism, cover costs of Kosovo Albanian state-building efforts.cover costs of Kosovo Albanian state-building efforts and try to underestimate UN Security Council Resolution 1244 – which btw represents in Kosovo highest international law. Anyway ISG issued a communique calling upon the government of Kosovo to continue to implement the Ahtisaari Plan, aiming to complete outstanding elements so that the period of “supervised independence” could terminate by the end of this year. While the outcome both politically and on operation theatre has been modest as best and the results related to investments almost non-visible, ISG probably his hurry to implement fast exit-strategy.

Marko Prelec from International Crisis Group concludes well the situation now since last summer tensions started in his post Update on Northern Kosovo Barricades. A quote:

The situation shows with crystal clarity the folly of the “freedom of movement” campaign, which cost tens of millions of Euros (flying Kosovo officials to, and from, the border day after day runs into serious money), dozens of injuries, made travel more difficult for real people and achieved nothing. All this started because of the basic disputes between Kosovo and Serbia, over Kosovo’s independence and territorial integrity. Trying to use issues like freedom of movement – or the rule of law – as tools to change locals’ minds about sovereignty issues, rather than as ends in themselves, just damages the tool. The dispute isn’t a technicality and cannot be resolved as though it were.

 

… or back to Dialogue?

Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina has poor history. Serbs and Albanians have been in negotiations and talks frequently over the past two decades – from the tentative efforts of the 1990s to the doomed talks in Rambouillet, France, in 1999 and the later “status” talks between 2005 (Ahtisaari’s pseudo-talks) and 2007 (“Troika” led talks). None of these has led to tangible results and left outsiders imposing an outcome, be it NATO intervention or proposing the Ahtisaari plan.

The original or better to say official aim of international community was to build “standards before status”, on 2005 the task was seen impossible so the slogan changed to “standards and status”. Even this was unrealistic so Feb. 2008 “European”standards were thrown away to garbage and “status without standards” precipitately accepted by western powers. For international community I don’t see any success story with this backward progress. Thus the multiethnic idea is far away despite EU’s billions. The remaining Serbs in Kosovo are barricaded into enclaves keeping their lives mainly with help of international KFOR troops or in de facto separated Serb majority region in North Kosovo. This has changed former multiethnic province more mono-ethnic one.

The new situation has forced also International Crisis Group (ICG) to admit the defeat of its Kosovo policy recommendations during last decade. ICG has acted as informal extension of U.S. State Department however pretending to be neutral mediator and think tank. During earlier “status” negotiations 2005 it endorsed preconditions before talks and afterwards supported sc Ahtisaari plan. Now in their new analysis ”Kosovo and Serbia after the ICJ Opinion” ICG sees Kosovo’s partition with land swap one of possible solutions during coming talks between Belgrad and Pristina.

The fact on the ground is that northern part of Kosovo is integrated to Serbia like it always has been, as well those parts south of Ibar river, which are not ethnically cleansed by Kosovo Albanians. Serbia still runs municipalities, courts, police, customs and public services, and the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) has been unable to deploy more than a token presence there.

During the course of events, the Ahtisaari Plan was implemented in south Kosovo, the north, however, remained outside Kosovo institutions and the ICO, and the Ahtisaari Plan was not implemented there. The Ahtisaari Plan derived a formula that would allow Kosovo Serbs to have their own local institutions and communal life with continued linkages to Serbia, but within the framework of a multi-ethnic Kosovo. If partition option – which in my opinion is pragmatic, the best and even realistical way to solve Kosovo conflict – is not yet possible so then the Ahtisaari Plan might be temporary base for compromise. The Plan however needs some modification. A new follow-up – entitled ‘The Ahtisaari Plan and North Kosovo’ - is presented by TransConflict and it might be achievable as the policy paper is authored by Gerard Gallucci, the former UN Regional Representative in Mitrovica.

My Scenario

“Kosovo … a Serbian province, occupied and now international protectorate administrated by UN Kosovo mission; as quasi-independent pseudo-state has good change to become next “failed” or “captured” state; today’s Kosovo is already safe-heaven for war criminals, drug traffickers, international money laundry and radical Wahhabists – unfortunately all are also allies of western powers”.

(Ari Rusila)

US based Freedom House gave in their last report (2012) rank partly free to Kosovo related to political rights and civil liberties (5,4 points respectively), while Serbia got rank free (2,2) and e.g also Croatia (1,2), Bulgaria (2,2) and Romania (2,2) got rank free, while Bosnia-Herzegovina (4,3) and Albania (3,3) fell to category partly free. (Note: Each country is assigned a numerical rating from 1 to 7 for both political rights and civil liberties, with 1 representing the most free and 7 the least free.) So even western powers must addmit that despite billions of dollars for Kosovo state-building efforts during last 12 years the outcome is that the protectorate still is among the worst in region related to political rights and civil liberties. One could ask why then Kosovo Serbs should go backwards by integrating to that society when better the alternative could be integrate also officially to more developed Serbia.

In my opinion Kosovo will remain a frozen conflict probably whole this decade. The western powers can not addmit – yet – that their intervention was a mistake, international community can not addmit its failure with capasity-/state-building efforts after squandering billions of Euros, noor that instead of multiethnic democracy the out outcome mono-ethnic tribe-society.  EULEX etc will continue to build some facades and pseudo-activities like it used to do, Pristina pretends that north is integral part of their quasi-independent pseudo-state which the North never has been, the Kosovo institutions do not exist in the north, and it is very unlikely that they will be established there soon. Hard-line Serbs keep claim about Kosovo as Serbian province, which it indeed has been but after 1999 situation on the ground changed; instead the today’s government in Belgrade might change in next elections. What is clear after referendum is that population in Kosovo’s northern municipalities does not want to integrate Pristina lead institutions, they want to continue their living as part of Serbia like they always have been, in short they want reunify northern municipalities with Serbia again.

After this quite pessimistic view one can ask if there is any other way forward. From my point of view there is the negotiation option. But this time negotiations should base facts on the ground instead of high-flown ideas in Washington and Brussels, around negotiation table in addition to Belgrade and Pristina representatives should be also local stakeholders from northern Kosovo and selected by local population. The referendum made positions clear for tripartite approach.

More eg in Kosovo: Two years of Pseudo-state

Therefore he can’t be responsible for that anti-government propaganda.

Furthermore, these sites were closed following an order given by….Chief of General Staff Ilker Başbuğ himself.

Thus for God’s sake who is fooling whom?

I quote the excellent Turkish newspaper Anadolu Ajansı:

“I reject this charge… I, as the chief of the general staff, am the commander of the Turkish armed forces which is one of the most powerful armies in the world,” Başbuğ said in testimony at an Istanbul court Thursday.

Every minute that Mr Ilker Başbuğ has been spending in prison is an insult to his stature and intelligence.

Every minute that he has been spending in prison is a smear on his and Turkey’s integrity.

In other words, by reason of what he has done for Turkey, an insult to the Turkish nation.

As a Turkish citizen I am deeply disturbed and ashamed.

Yours faithfully,

Cem

Turkey’s top general in ‘challenging mood’ over coup allegations – March 16th 2010

When a journalist asked about speculations that top generals might consider resigning from their posts in reaction to the arrests of their colleagues, Başbuğ did not hide his anger. “Are you going to be happy if we resign? I said I am on the job until the last minute of my term,” he said. “I have been wearing this uniform for the last 50 years and I still feel like a lieutenant.”

Başbuğ continued by explaining the meaning of “teğmen,” the Turkish word for lieutenant: “‘Teğmen’ means the one who attacks. This word was created by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself. We’ll sometimes be generals, sometimes lieutenants.”

“I started to wear this uniform in 1957. I was promoted to officer in 1962. My actual service [as an officer] in the military has been 48 years,” he said. “There are some other generals who served 47 or 46 [years]. But 48 years – it’s a record. Why do I say this? I want to emphasize that I stand behind my years in the military. I stand behind what I have done thus far.”

Here is the second article:

Başbuğ hands over reins to Turkey’s new top general – August 27th 2010

Earlier in the day, Başbuğ attended an award ceremony and bestowed a medal of honor and the Distinguished Service Medal upon several military officers for their contributions and service to the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK.

Speaking to daily Milliyet columnist Fikret Bila, Başbuğ, who served in the most stressful period of the army due to the ongoing probes against several army members and accusations against the TSK for alleged involvement in the coup plot, said he did not feel tired.

“I still feel like a young lieutenant because being one means being on the attack,” he said Friday.

I hope that justice will be done. I curse those who are behind that unhealthy conspiracy.

Yours faithfully,

Cem

PS. In this short post in Turkish that dates back to last July I introduced a declaration of Mr Ilker Başbuğ (who besides has never been used to being in front of the cameras). To put it in a nutshell, he said:

The military ought to not interfere in politics.

The military cares about the interests of the whole society.

PPS. Well the next two pictures – taken more than one year ago – aimed at conveying the message that there was no problem between former Chief of General Staff Ilker Başbuğ and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and that the Turkish state is and will be united against terrorism and other foreign threats:

PPPS. I quote myself:

“We all know that the Turkish military protects the republic, but some people within it are traitors. They think that they have some power and that they are able to make the best decisions for the republic, but they are dangerous.

I do not believe that the Turkish military planned to bomb a mosque or hit one of its jets. But I believe that some people within it planned it. But these people don’t represent the Turkish army, they are traitors against the country and Atatürk.

But the Turkish army can’t control everybody.

Following the headlines of Taraf newspaper, the Chief of General Staff Ilker Başbuğ said something very important.

He said that the whole Turkish army can’t be accused.

He said “the whole” (“tümünü”) and immediately he made a break:

Siz bu orduyu tümünü nasıl böyle itham edersiniz?

He insisted on that word, which is very revealing. It summarizes the stance and the opinion of the Turkish army.”

PPPPS. I wrote more than one year ago:

“Ilker Başbuğ will be on retirement. He is the best Chief of General Staff I’ve ever known. And he succeeded in protecting the credibility of the Turkish army. By reason of the complexity of Turkey and of its sensitive geo-strategic position, is there any foreign Chief of General Staff whom we can compare with him? Ilker Başbuğ is a very intelligent man. I have listened to some of his speeches since 1996. I wish he had been the boss longer. Let’s hope that his successor will be as competent as him.”

PPPPPS. Eventually, this former short article should be read too:

The Turkish army saved Turkey’s future

After parliamentary elections which haven’t really changed anything despite the defeat of Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the time has come for us to decide whether we would like to be a part of (Dis)United Europe. The breaking news is that the referendum on our joining the EU won’t be postponed as previously told! Although there were some announcements from Croatia’s future Minister of Foreign Affairs Vesna Pusi?, President of the State confirmed earlier today that there won’t be any delays. The referendum will be held on 22 January 2012. Oh happy day…

So, here we are, 33 days before that historical decision-making day and still without any real political debate on this matter. It’s funny how this proud nation, after all it’s been through, puts up with being treated like a flock of sheep. What’s even more funny or tragic, depending on how you look at it, is that even those 33 days can’t be used properly for a debate or a fair campaign because of the Christmas holidays and New Year’s Eve that follows.

It’s obvious that there won’t be almost any debate and the campaign will be reduced to political leaders’ messages for their voters to vote not by their conscience but by political establishment’s suggestion. Pro and contra arguments won’t even be presented to the public, even though Croatian citizens know so little about the Union that it seems to be so distant and unreal as if it’s some sort of Wonderland and our country is the poor little Alice.

The European Union has given our politicians a great pile of money to persuade Croatian citizens to vote ‘Yes’ on the referendum. Video spots that have been made for the official pro-EU campaign in Croatia clearly show what our political elite think of us. Those spots ‘professionally explain’ that we’ll still be Croats when we join the EU, we’ll continue to speak Croatian language and that no one is going to colonize our land.

Crucial info… for a medieval society without any national consciousness maybe. For a European nation in the 21st century that sort of information is hilarious. While being brainwashed with this bull, many still don’t have even the slightest clue what really awaits us if we join, so I expect the adaptation time will be pretty long and painful. If we add a neverending economic crisis to this charade, it’s obvious that some Chinese guy must have cursed us to live in such ‘interesting times’.

This lack of proper political debate in Croatia has made Nigel Farage a sort of Eurosceptics’ hero despite of our nation’s resistance to the British foreign policy for almost a century. Maybe his nationality really is an obstacle for his corageous messages (especially if we consider some sort of Balkan integrations to be an alternative to the EU accession), knowing that Balkan integrations have always been cooked in the British foreign policy kitchen.

For a Croat, everything is better than Balkan integrations, even the 9th circle of Dante’s Inferno is lesser evil. Hell, I’d rather find myself in the 10th circle that’s been opened especially for us than to be part of such project once again.

British policy on Balkans has always been integrative, putting Serbia in a privileged position over Croatia, so it’s not unusual that there are doubts in Nigel’s good intentions. Nevertheless, over the last few months he’s been telling things that just couldn’t be heard in our public, so one should really be thankful for his words.

Author: Angela Velkova

I often dreamt of reaching new horizons, stretching myself to the limit, throwing myself into new challenges, of some organized society with innumerable opportunities for every young person calling upon me…hence, when the opportunity came, I couldn’t resist it. For one academic year I was diligently studying in the USA. The new world I saw and experienced did not let me enter into an emotional crisis. I avow that I did not have time to feel homesick. However, deep down, I harbored a desire to return home, back in my Macedonia. A Country most commonly seen by its citizens as a temporary place of residence where they were “doomed” to be born and witness the harsh implications of a transition era. Country where young people are triggered by the same drive to pursue their happiness abroad; however, the drive to return back in their country of origin never overrides their motives to stay in a foreign land.

Yes, I find the perpetual drain of young brains, or the so-called brain drain process, as the main cause for the poor economic and social progress of my country. Attesting the 20th independence anniversary of Macedonia, I contemplate about the brief but turbulent history of a country close to my age, country that was maturing along with entire generation of young enthusiasts who are now on the threshold of undertaking their future roles in society. In reality though, what this generation has withstood during its development years are massive job layoffs, high unemployment rate, large-scale corruption, stagnation in the economic growth, low standards of living, ubiquitous poverty, and ethnic conflicts. So I ask myself a question: Should I or anyone else, be surprised about the current situation with lack of competent and motivated young people to stay and create in Macedonia? Should we only blame it on the “relentlessly” ambitious young people who use every single opportunity to “wander around”, or maybe we should first look closely at the myriad of reasons underlying their decisions to depart and never return back?

Read the full article

We’ve seen many horrors in 2011, like the Japan tsunami and the Norway mass killing. And a couple of wonders too: the end of the Berlusconi era, the indignados-Occupy Wall street movements, and the Arab spring. And the US left Iraq.
I’m not optimistic about the Arab spring and I’m not proud of how it’s been handled by European capitals. Sorry Mr. Van Rompuy, but I don’t think that we would change any time later our opinion about 2011. But in spite of the gloomy recession mood, I wish 2012 could be a better year.
Politically Europe needs change, as the current attempts to reform capitalism are unconvincing. The French Presidential elections provide a big opportunity; however, the Socialist candidate François Hollande has so far disclosed no real project. If he does, that would be a miracle. If he doesn’t, the surge of Marine Le Pen will be even more frightening.
A surge of democracy is looming in Russia on the occasion of the presidential elections. The EU is just an observer to the downslide of democracy in Russia, Turkey and many other places on earth. If the EU was more straightforward with its own problems, if it could stop for example the authoritarian tendencies in Hungary, it would be more credible in its external action.
It’s difficult to imagine a miracle happening in the Berlaymont these days. But I remember the Delors years, when the Berlaymont was a factory of ideas and big projects for Europe. And that was several EU treaties before. That’s why I say the EU institutions don’t need treaty change. They need political courage, or continue their decline into irrelevance. One can be indifferent about their fate, but our continent will be quite insignificant without the EU.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia declared its independence in 1991 under the name of Republic of Macedonia, which no country objected to except Greece, the northern province of which also bears the name of the ancient empire of Alexander the Great.

Greece reproached the newly independent Republic with territorial aspirations, which had, indeed, existed during a short period in the aftermath of the second world war.

The Macedonian leaders were not helpful in calming Greek apprehensions. They chose the “Vergina Sun”, the historic symbol of Greek Macedonia, as their national flag and installed a huge monument of Alexander the Great in their capital.

Since 1995 Macedonia has changed its flag and also agreed to use the name of “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (FYROM) in its international relations. In return, Greece promised not to block Macedonia’s applications to international organisations.

Thus Macedonia (FYROM) was admitted to the UN, the Council of Europe, WTO, CEFTA, EBRD, WHO, IMF etc. But for practical reasons more than 100 UN countries, including USA, Russia and UK refer to the country as “Republic of Macedonia”. Greece has essentially lost its battle on the name of its northern neighbour a long time ago.

In 2008 it has reopened the issue by blocking Macedonia`s NATO membership under the official designation of FYROM. NATO membership being Macedonia`s top foreign policy priority, the government took the matter to the ICJ in the Hague, which, in early December 2011, ruled 15 against 1 in favour of Macedonia. On the basis of this ruling NATO should resume Macedonia`s application, ignoring possible Greek objections.

In parallel, the EU should pursue Macedonia` membership bid, which is pending since 2005. The EP has invited the European Commission to open negotiations. There is no urgency for membership. Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are in the pipeline. But in 2014 negotiations should finally start in the hope that by that time the Greek political class will have realised that Macdonia`s EU membership, far from representing a menace, will be beneficial for Greece as one of Macedonia`s main economic partners.

In the course the next two years the EU should therefore discreetly remind the Greek political elite that it expects it to make the necessary gestures for normalising relations with all Balkan countries.