Expert Opinion: Greece Wants to Dictate Terms for Confidence Measures with Macedonia
The confidence measures announced by Greece's foreign minister, if they are true, could improve the relations between Skopje and Athens and move forward the name negotiations, experts believe, Telegraf.mk reads.
According to them, reasons for doubt are the different statements by the Greek Chief of Diplomacy, Nikos Kotzias and the coalition partner of the Tsipras' government, Panos Kammenos, who is against the idea of having the name Macedonia contained in the country's official appellation that both sides would agree upon.
The possibility for such measures that would refer to the solution of the problem concerning irredentism, was published few days ago by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. The article says that Berlin is behind this idea, and that both sides agree to develop measures that could lead towards improvement of confidence and communication in all open issues.
Lazar Lazarov, professor of international relations and diplomacy believes that Greece is pressured by all sides to start negotiating with Macedonia, and abandon its current approach in talks, and in that context the initiative launched by the Greek minister should be interpreted.
"The pressure mostly comes from Germany. Greece wants to negotiate, but with blackmails and under its terms. In any case, high-level talks are needed, on an inter-governmental levels. It is obvious that Matthew Nimetz with his visits to Skopje and Athens could not have solved the dispute," Lazarov deems.
The last meeting between the mediator and the negotiators, Vasko Naumovski and Adamantios Vassilakis, was held last year in November. Back then, Nimetz was decisive that the real time has come to revive the negotiations process and to find solution to the name dispute. According to him, the position of the authorities in Skopje is constructive, and expressed hope that the other side would demonstrate constructive approach.
Both ministers, Nikola Poposki and Nikos Kotzias already held an unofficial meeting during the informal EU foreign ministers conference in Riga. This was the first meeting between the Macedonian and Greek foreign minister after the formation of the SYRIZA-led government in Athens. Collocutors talked about negotiations in the frames of the United Nations, as well as about the EU and NATO membership.
According to experts, although it was expected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to show a softer position regarding the name issue, that probably will not happen, hence he will stick to the Greek red lines.
Ioannis Mihaletos, a political analyst from Greece, believes that soon the road for more frequent meetings between politicians from both countries will open, that would surely be very useful, considering that highest-level meetings take place so rarely.
"It turns out that the measures are aimed at building preliminary confidence. The second stage could be bilateral meetings. The best option would be if both foreign ministries held bilateral talks, and then ministers themselves. Still, the content of these measures is not familiar enough, thereof we have to wait," Mihaletos stresses.
But the plans to build up trust could fail, even before the start of their realization if the threats voiced by the Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis come to life. He announced a referendum or new early parliamentary elections, if the country's eurozone partners reject the plan on Greek debt.
