THE GREEKS LIKE THE "TROJAN HORSE"

AIM Skopje, 19 June, 1997

As part of the Balkan cooperation initiated last year, a ministerial conference of foreign ministers of Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, FR Yugoslavia and Romania was held in Salonika in the beginning of the second week of June. In distinction from the last year's conference held in Sofia, this one had better prospects to mark the real beginning of cooperation in the Balkans, due to the fact that all the countries in the region participated (except Croatia and Slovenia for known reasons). As known, Macedonia had not participated at the conference in Sofia because of the problem with its name, that is, because the host abided by the Greek stance concerning the names of countries participants. It was decided at this conference that, in front of the participants, only labels with the names of the ministers and state flags would be put, which can be considered as great progress for the circumstances in the Balkans.

However, the conference which was intended to increase safety in the region did not pass as smoothly as the hosts wished to present it. It should be stressed that Turkey was represented by its assistant minister, which can be taken as an indication that the Turks had seen through the Greek intention to usurp primacy of the regional leader. As an illustration of this assumption, the obvious fact can be taken that the Greeks have been taking unusually great pains about their neighbours, not hesitating to repeatedly express support to reception of the countries in the region in the NATO and the EU, even of Macedonia with which it has the sharpest misunderstanding in the region. After all, this should be quite logical being aware that Greece is the only Balkan country which is a member of the European Union, and that it has learnt the lesson from the Germans and the Italians which are unsparingly advocating reception of new neighbours into the NATO and the EU, aware that this is useful for them.

In the end of this conference, a final document was prepared which was intended to mark a "new era" in neighbourly relations in the south of Europe, that is, in the Balkans, but an unexpected move of Greek diplomacy threatened to interrupt the initiated process. What happened was that the Greeks, in cooperation with the second man of Russian diplomacy, deputy minister Nikolay Afanasyev, tried to squeeze into the final documant a conclusion which had not even been on the agenda for discussion. It is a proposal to convene a summit of the heads of the states of southern Europe on Crete towards the end of the year, under auspices of Russia, which would in fact be a continuation of this conference on a higher level. To great surprise of the Greeks, and probably of the Russians as well, except for the minister of FR Yugoslavia, all the others rejected this proposal and left the Greeks in the position of the "Trojan horse" which under the screen of regional cooperation were in fact opening the door to penetration of the Russians into the Balkans. Regardless of the unpleasant situation, the Greeks and the Russians made this initiative public in the end, but only as their own.

A similar assessment about Greek diplomacy was made by the Americans who "reacted sharply" through their ambassador in Athens to the Greek-Russian initiative about which allegedly Washington had not been informed. However, what undoubtedly agitated the Americans the most about this initiative was that they recognized in it competition to their initiative on cooperation of Southern-European countries (SECI), because of which they taught the Greeks a lesson. According to writing of the Greek press which carried these details a week after the end of the conference, Athens did not fail to answer to the Americans. They allegedly reassured Washington not to be too concerned, because the Greeks were still resolute to develop SECI initiative, which can also be interpreted as resoluteness not to abandon their intention to go through with the mentioned summit.

Although it is clear that the Greeks, who are angry with the Americans because of their stand in the Greek-Turkish dispute, especially concerning Cyprus, will not give up cooperation with the Russians since the latter had agreed to arm the Greek part of the divided island, it is nevertheless hard to believe that they will manage to get the other countries in the Balkans involved. From the aspect of Macedonia, it is almost certain that this initiative will not be accepted, especially not in the assumed context of Russian penetration to the peninsula. The job has been made easier for Macedonia by the almost certain assumption that Albania will have the similar stance, and it should also be mentioned that the Buulgarian head of diplomacy has publicly declared that she was against this initiative.

It is also certain that Greece, at least when speaking of Macedonia, will have a ready offer as a reward for support, but it is highly probable that Macedonia will support the Americans, especially because it will mean being on the same side as the "only Balkan country with which Macedonia has no dispute whatsoever" - Turkey.

But, at the same time it is quite certain that it will not at all be easy for Macedonia to resist pressures from the south and the north, which have in recent history been very bad for its development. Especially because this initiative incorporates a religious component in the form of the famous "Orthodox transversal" which would lead from Moscow to Athens. The fact that Macedonia is on the way of this imagined axis will probably determine future strategy of the government concerning this issue.

AIM, Skopje

IBRAHIM MEHMETI