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 Albania |  North Macedonia |
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Albania and North Macedonia maintain diplomatic relations. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and of the NATO. Both began European Union accession negotiations in March 2020. The Albanian language is an official language in Albania, while also being an official language in North Macedonia on a municipal level, if the ethnic Albanian population exceeds 20%, [1] and ethnic Albanians make up the second largest community in North Macedonia.
Albanians in North Macedonia are of interest to Albania. [2] In the 1990s, issues revolving around the Albanian community fueled concerns in Albania of destabilisation in the new Macedonian state and possible Serbian intervention. [2] Albania, through President Sali Berisha became one of the early states to recognise Macedonia in April 1993. [2] The country was recognised by Albania under the United Nations (UN) provisional reference of the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", [3] [4] abbreviated as FYROM. [5] [6]
Berisha viewed the existence of an independent Macedonia as important to Albanian interests in keeping apart Greece and Serbia (then part of FR Yugoslavia), and to preventing any possible encirclement of Albania. [2] At the time, the close relationship between Greece and Serbia was a motivation for Berisha to seek close bilateral relations with Macedonia, in addition to political and economic matters. [2] Berisha's recognition move resulted in criticism within Albania by the political opposition for not extracting concessions over the status of the Albanian minority in Macedonia. [2] For Berisha, his position was that "an independent Macedonia is better than a Macedonia under Miloševič". [2] Greece delivered a strongly worded reply regarding Albanian recognition and was displeased over the action. [2]
Separatist sentiments among Albanians in Macedonia were dissuaded by Albania in the aim of further stabilising Macedonia. [2] Berisha attempted through limited influence to encourage the Albanian minority to engage with the Macedonian political system and to place their efforts toward stabilising the country. [2] During the early years of the Macedonia naming dispute, Macedonia was under economic embargo by Greece. [2] Greece suggested the name "Slavomacedonia" as a solution and Berisha, alongside other Albanians in the wider region strongly opposed Macedonia adopting that name. [7] Albania gave its support to Macedonia through offering its transport and port infrastructure for use. [2] Unlike Berisha, the stances of the political opposition Socialist Party and Democratic Alliance closely resembled the Greek position on the Macedonian naming dispute. [2] They both criticised the policy platform of the Albanian government toward Macedonia as "tolerant and often irresponsible". [2] Issues over the position and handling of the Albanian community in the Macedonian state continued to hamper the ability of both countries leadership to create good relations. [2]
In mid June 1993, a border incident occurred. [8] A meeting was organised by the Macedonian side that later ended in the death of a senior Albanian border guard intelligence officer after Macedonian border guards shot him. [8] [2] The officer's military attache managed to return to Tirana and reported the incident that according to sources from western militaries, the event almost sparked a war between both countries. [8] Other border incidents occurred and the European Union (EU) sent monitors to Albania and stationed them on its side of the border. [8] Other events such as the alleged involvement of Albanian elites in Macedonia in a paramilitary and weapons scandal and support for a radical group within the Party for Democratic Prosperity (PDP) party resulted in bilateral tensions. [2] Macedonia criticised Albania for its evolving position and accused it of interfering in its domestic affairs. [2] The US intervened and pressed Albania to repair ties with Macedonia. [2] Berisha later restrained the radical wing of the PDP and undertook actions to mend disagreements and increase ties with its neighbour. [2]
A summit between President Berisha and Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov was held in May 1994 over infrastructure cooperation, minority issues and bolstering bilateral relations. [2] Macedonian leadership positively viewed the summit and there were initial moves to enhance relations. [2] Later, some statements by Macedonian officials indicated that the country would not undertake major changes toward the Albanian minority in order to improve ties with Albania. [2] In Macedonia, officials were of the view that Albania was in a weak position, due to tensions in its relations with Greece and Serbia. [2] Macedonia's admission into European organisations and a lessening of tensions in the name dispute with Greece gave it minimal incentive to seek closer relations with Albania. [2]
In February 1995, an attempt was made to open an Albanian university in Macedonia and the move was halted by police. [2] Albania officially declared that the university situation may incline it to "reconsider" policy regarding its neighbour. [2] There was pressure directed to the government of Albania by internal political forces to react strongly, however, though displeased with events its response was restrained. [2] Toward late 1996, internal political issues restricted Albania and Macedonia from making attempts to further develop bilateral relations. [2]
After an earthquake struck Albania (26 November 2019), North Macedonia sent €100,000 in financial aid, [9] as well as drones with thermal cameras to search for survivors under the rubble. Rescue teams were also sent, as well as mechanical equipment to clear the rubble. [10] [11]
In December 2023 at the National History Museum in Tirana, Albanian officials returned 20 stolen cultural icons to North Macedonia that had been taken about 10 years previous, representing years of international cooperation against trafficking of art objects. [12]
As one of the oldest Euro-Atlantic member states in the region of Southeast Europe, Greece enjoys a prominent geopolitical role as a middle power, due to its political and geographical proximity to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Its main allies are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Cyprus and the rest of the European Union and NATO.
The history of North Macedonia encompasses the history of the territory of the modern state of North Macedonia.
The foreign relations of North Macedonia since its independence in 1991 have been characterized by the country's efforts to gain membership in international organizations such as NATO and the European Union and to gain international recognition under its previous constitutional name, overshadowed by a long-standing, dead-locked dispute with neighboring Greece. Greek objections to the country's name had led to it being admitted to the United Nations and several other international fora only under the provisional designation Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia until its official and erga omnes renaming to North Macedonia, a name under which it is now universally recognised.
Since the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the foreign policy of the newly established Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was characterized primarily by a desire to secure its political and geopolitical position and the solidarity with ethnic Serbs in other former Yugoslav republics through a strong nationalist campaign. While the country was involved in Yugoslav Wars and therefore exposed to several rounds of devastating sanctions against Yugoslavia this involvement was often denied for political or ideological reasons. In the initial period Federal Republic of Yugoslavia unsuccessfully aspired to gain international recognition as the sole legal successor state to SFR Yugoslavia, the country which was one of the most prominent foreign policy subjects during the Cold War.
The name Macedonia is used in a number of competing or overlapping meanings to describe geographical, political and historical areas, languages and peoples in a part of south-eastern Europe. It has been a major source of political controversy since the early 20th century. The situation is complicated because different ethnic groups use different terminology for the same entity, or the same terminology for different entities, with different political connotations.
The use of the country name "Macedonia" was disputed between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia between 1991 and 2019. The dispute was a source of instability in the Western Balkans for 25 years. It was resolved through negotiations between the two countries, mediated by the United Nations, resulting in the Prespa Agreement, which was signed on 17 June 2018. Pertinent to its background is an early 20th-century multifaceted dispute and armed conflict that formed part of the background to the Balkan Wars. The specific naming dispute, although an existing issue in Yugoslav–Greek relations since World War II, was reignited after the breakup of Yugoslavia and the newly-gained independence of the former Socialist Republic of Macedonia in 1991. Since then, it was an ongoing issue in bilateral and international relations until it was settled with the Prespa agreement in June 2018, the subsequent ratification by the Macedonian and Greek parliaments in late 2018 and early 2019 respectively, and the official renaming of Macedonia to North Macedonia in February 2019.
Albania is on the current agenda for future enlargement of the European Union (EU). It applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009, and has since June 2014 been an official candidate for accession. The Council of the European Union decided in March 2020 to open accession negotiations with Albania.
The 2008 Bucharest Summit or the 21st NATO Summit was a NATO summit organized in the Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest, Romania on 2 – 4 April 2008.
Ilirida or the Republic of Ilirida is a proposed state in the western regions of North Macedonia, declared twice by the politician Nevzat Halili, once in 1992 and again in 2014. The proposal has been declared unconstitutional by the Macedonian government. The secessionist concept of Ilirida emerged in the early 1990s and was advocated by some Albanian politicians as a solution to concerns and disputes the Albanian community had regarding constitutional recognition and minority rights within Macedonia.
Albania–Greece relations are diplomatic relations between Albania and Greece. They are influenced by factors such as the presence of Albanian immigrants in Greece, the Greek minority in Albania, historical and cultural ties, and interactions between the governments of both countries.
The accession of North Macedonia to the European Union has been on the current agenda for future enlargement of the EU since 2005, when it became an official candidate for accession. The Republic of Macedonia submitted its membership application in 2004, thirteen years after its independence from Yugoslavia. It is one of nine current EU candidate countries, together with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Albania and Turkey have close foreign relations. Albania has an embassy in Ankara and a general consulate in Istanbul. Turkey has an embassy in Tirana. The most widespread religion in Albania is Islam (~59%), also in Turkey (~90%). Both are part of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). Turkey and Albania are candidates for accession in the European Union (EU).
The foreign relations between Albania and Croatia are bound together by shared history, neighboring geography and common political ideologies. Both states established diplomatic relations in 1992, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the independence of Croatia. They have historically shared a special relationship due to their convergent nation-building efforts. Modern relations are warm and friendly.
Relations between Albania and Serbia have been complex and largely unfriendly due to a number of historical and political events.
North Macedonia–Turkey relations are the bilateral relations between North Macedonia and Turkey. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and of the NATO. North Macedonia has an embassy in Ankara and a Consulate General in Istanbul. Turkey has an embassy in Skopje.
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's population of 1.83 million. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians and a few other minorities.
North Macedonia–Russia relations are bilateral relations between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Russian Federation. North Macedonia has an embassy in Moscow and a consulate in St. Petersburg, while Russia has an embassy in Skopje and consulates in Bitola and Ohrid. Chargé d'Affaires of North Macedonia in Moscow is Olivera Čauševska-Dimovska, while the Russian ambassador in Skopje is Sergey Bazdnikin.
Bilateral relations exist between Greece and North Macedonia. Greece has an embassy in Skopje, and a Consulate General in Bitola. Similarly, North Macedonia maintains an embassy in Athens, and a consulate-general in Thessaloniki. Both countries are members of the Council of Europe and NATO. Greece is an EU member and North Macedonia is an EU candidate.
From the establishment of the European Economic Community in 1957 until the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, thus during the Cold War period, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the first socialist state to develop relations with the organisation. Notwithstanding occasional and informal proposals coming from both sides, Yugoslavia never became a full member state of the EEC.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania
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see also: Foreign relations of Yugoslavia | ||
