UN’s International Court of Justice is going to make its ruling on the so called Macedonia-Greece name dispute on December 5, 2011, the Court has announced.
“On Monday 5 December 2011, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Judgment in the case concerning Application of the Interim Accord of 13 September 1995 (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia v. Greece). A public sitting will take place at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which the President of the Court, Judge Hisashi Owada, will read the Court’s Judgment,” the ICJ said in a communique Thursday.
Macedonia is registered at international organizations as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia because of the name dispute, rather than Republic of Macedonia at Greece’s insistence, which fears the name “Macedonia” might spur territorial claims for its northern regions.
Greeece has already exercised a de facto veto on Macedonia’s NATO accession at the Bucharest Summit in April 2008.
Macedonia continues to have no date for starting the EU talks as the Council of the European Union has repeatedly put off grating the country a date, largely because of its name dispute with Greece.
Greece and international intermediaries have suggested that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should adopt a name such as “Republic of Northern Macedonia” or “Republic of Macedonia-Skopje”, which have been rejected by the Macedonian authorities.