Greece conducts shameful policy towards Macedonia - ex-Bulgarian President

Sofia, January 14 (MIA) - Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgaria's first democratically elected President, says Greece's policy towards its neighbouring country the Republic of Macedonia is shameful.

- The western neighbour should retain its name the Republic of Macedonia as it was called in the Yugoslavian federation for a period of 50 years. Why Greece didn't raise the name issue back then during Tito's rule? Because it was afraid. It's shameful to treat this country in such a manner, stated the former Bulgarian President in an interview published on the web site of BGNES news agency.

Bulgaria was the first country that had recognised Macedonia, which was largely due to Zhelev's contribution, says the agency.

- The circumstances dictated the tempo in which this decision had to be adopted - rapidly or slowly, says Zhelev. This was when the war in former Yugoslavia was raging and certain issues had to be solved quickly. We initially decided to turn towards the Balkan states - neighbours of Yugoslavia and especially towards Macedonia to refrain from participating in this war. The second thing we urged the neighbours of Macedonia to do was to recognise it as an independent and autonomous country i.e. to recognise its state sovereignty and territorial integrity. They agreed in principle, but things didn't go as planned, states Zhelev.

At the same time, the issue needed to be reviewed in the European Union. The European Commission ordered the establishment of a commission chaired by the renown French lawyer and politician Robert Badinter, which founded the criteria under which the former Yugoslav countries should have been recognised as independent states, says Zhelev adding: This commission successfully completed its tasks and in a report emphasised that only two states had meet the criteria to be recognised as independent, because there weren't gripped by wars or civil unrest - Slovenia and Macedonia.

Regardless of the recommendations adopted by the Badinter commission, Macedonia was left behind as candidate for independent country since Greece - using the mandatory consensus in such cases, said it denied its recognition. This was unfair for Macedonia. Then it was decided Bulgaria to be the first country to recognise Macedonia together with other three former Yugoslav republics - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia.

Later, at the economic forum in Davos, Zhelev spoke to Turkey's PM, Süleyman Demirel. - He carefully heard my arguments and said: "In at least week's time, the government of Turkey will recognise the Republic of Macedonia". And exactly after eight or ten days, the news that the government of Turkey had recognised Macedonia as an independent and sovereign state was spread.

Zhelev held similar talks with the former President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin in 1992. - At our joint meeting in the Boyana Residence I told the Russian President that still there was no decree recognising Macedonia. Yeltsin immediately called the minister of foreign affairs Andrei Kozyrev and ordered him to write the decree, who tried to convince him that Greece would be angered by the move. Yeltsin replied: "I don't care about Greece, Bulgaria's position is right". The decree was signed on 3 August 1992, Zhelev says.

On Friday (Jan. 15), Dr. Zhelyu Zhelev - the President of Bulgaria in the period between 1990-1997 - will be awarded by Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov with the 8 September Order - Macedonia's highest state recognition.

- With this move, I am expressing great and sincere gratitude to you and to your personal contribution to the development of friendly and neighbourly relations between our two countries and for the role played in the period of Macedonia's recognition by the Republic of Bulgaria, says President Ivanov in a letter sent to Dr. Zhelev.