Wyzwanie dla tożsamości międzynarodowej Macedonii – grecko macedoński spór o nazwę państwa

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to present how the Greek- -Macedonian naming dispute influenced the problem of implementation the international identity of Macedonia. Despite the initial problems of the government in Skopje related to determining their international identity, Macedonians managed to define the principles regarding the identification of a new state on the international stage. As a small country with limited attributes to shape its international position, Macedonia has basically been determined to seek guarantees for its existence and security in stable and predictable European international structures such as NATO and the European Union. The main obstacle for Macedonians on the road to Euro-Atlantic structures was the veto of Greece, a member of these organizations, resulting from Athens’ refusal to accept the name the Republic of Macedonia. The Prespa Agreement of 2018 gave a new impetus to the realization of the international identity of North Macedonia.

Russia-Ukraine War and the Security Dilemma

“…openly support Putin's fascist regime and the war against Ukraine, and culture is viewed as a weapon. In view of this, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine called to abandon Russian culture 46 . The world reacted differently to the call of the Ukrainian minister.…”

“…Two decisive milestones on that path can be noted -the Orange Revolution (2004) and the Revolution of Dignity (2013-2014), both of which were clear pro-Western declarations by Ukrainian society. But the process was continuous, ignited by the declaration of independence -the pro-Western shift can be seen both in political (pro-Western candidates were gaining ever-growing support in subsequent elections) 45 and social changes (a growing sector of services that shaped the young, dynamic, middle class) 46 .…”

“…Even when the Left was in power, it received many signals that this was not achievable. In addition, it carried out a lot of activities that ran counter to the political interests of Russia as defined by the centre of power with Vladimir Putin at the helm 46 .…”

“…As a result, in 2007, Greece started warning Skopje that FYROM's accession process to NATO and the EU would be dependent on resolv- 45 . It also meant blocking the country's membership of the European Union in the future, which recognised the need to resolve this dispute as one of the prerequisites for accession 46 . This, in turn, translated into the growth of nationalism and populism in Macedonia and the abandonment of the reforms required as part of the process of integration with the EU 47 .…”