Galery

1

Aked by GRReporter whether the International Court of Justice in The Hague could accelerate the resolution of the name issue of Macedonia, professor Mitev replied, "I hope that this decision will generally "sober down" those responsible in Skopje and that they would understand that their neighbours to the south and east are civilized European countries. Therefore, the language of good neighbourliness and civilized dialogue should be imposed, so as not to create such problems in the future. In order for Macedonia to become a normal and tolerant member of the European Union and NATO, it should take the position of objective truth, good neighbourliness and friendship."

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the decision of the Hague Tribunal would not affect the position of the military alliance in any way.

"I take note that the International Court of Justice has issued its ruling on a bilateral issue between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The ruling does not affect the decision taken by NATO Allies at the Bucharest summit in 2008.  We agreed that an invitation will be extended to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached. This decision was reiterated at subsequent summit and ministerial meetings."