Once seen as Moscow’s most loyal satellite state, Bulgaria today is a struggling democracy wrestling with the staple problems of a struggling economy and the development of democratic institutions. A visit last month by The Athenian’s diplomatic correspondent reveals neither a bastion of anti-Geek feelings nor a hotbed of pro-Turkish Moslem fundamentalism, as often suspected in Athens. In fact, quite the contrary…
Even if Greek objections fail at the UN and other international forums, the feud between Athens and Skopje is likely to continue for a very long time. After a possible toughening of the Greek stand, it can only be settled on a bilateral level.
The Athenian’s political-diplomatic correspondent travelled twice to the neighboring former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia within a month. This second time, his meetings included exclusive interviews with President Kiro Gligorov, President of Parliament Stojan Andov, Foreign Undersecretary Aleksandr Dimitrov, and the local Albanian leadership.
The EC seems reluctant to enter into the dialectical arguments of Greece and the self-proclaimed republic of Macedonia. Matters appear to be sapping Slavic resistance.
