The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, sent a congratulation message to Mr. Donald Tusk on the occasion of assuming the post of President of the European Council.

Distinguished Mr. Tusk,

On the occasion of your election as President of the European Council, let me extend, on my personal behalf and on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, our most sincere congratulations and best wishes for success in the execution of your responsible mission. Rest assured that in the performance of your very important duty, you can always count on my and the Republic of Macedonia's solid and consistent support.

Distinguished President of the European Council, allow me to take this opportunity to inform you on the current developments in terms of the integration process of the Republic of Macedonia and at the same time to urge for your involvement. In the past period, the Republic of Macedonia has been fulfilling sincerely and devotedly the assumed commitments and has achieved tangible progress. As you already know, the Republic of Macedonia has been a candidate country since 2005, and since 2009 it has been continuously receiving positive recommendations from the European Commission for setting a date to start negotiations for membership in the European Union. These recommendations, unfortunately, have not been valued by the European Council due to the blockade imposed by Greece. Just as we were blocked at the very end of our road towards membership in NATO, now we are being blocked in the middle of our road towards membership in the European Union by a Member State that brings into question the collective interests and fundamental principles of the organizations we wish to become members of. One of those fundamental principles is namely the respect for international treaties and international law.

On December 5, 2011, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Greek blockade of the Republic of Macedonia's integration into NATO was illegal and that international commitments had thus been violated. The Court noted that it expects Greece not to repeat its unlawful behavior from Bucharest. Three years after, we are still waiting for the judgment of the International Court of Justice to be applied. The judgment is a confirmation of this unlawful behavior, but it also represents an expectation and appeal to put an end to the violations of international law. Respect for international law is valid not only for the state that is blocking us, but also for all member-states of the international organizations in which our membership is still being blocked.

In 2008, our process of integration into NATO was blocked by the other party under the justification that the blockade is a motivating factor to resolve the bilateral dispute with Greece.

In 2009, we experienced the same in the process of integration into the European Union. Notwithstanding, six years later, it has now become obvious that this approach has not paved the way to resolve the bilateral dispute. It is already proven that this political recipe did not create conditions for a mutually acceptable solution. Rather, this approach overshadowed the credibility of the enlargement process of NATO and the European Union. As a result of this approach, Greece, instead of seeking for a solution to the dispute with the Republic of Macedonia, adopted a policy according to which the blockade of the Republic of Macedonia is the best solution per se. The overall experience clearly shows that it is impossible to come to a decision if there is no change in their approach.

Therefore, on the eve of the European Council meeting, I avail myself of this occasion to ask for support to unblock our country, because due to the prolonged status quo, the Republic of Macedonia is facing serious challenges that create frustration in the Macedonian society, instability in political life and tensions in inter-ethnic relations. In addition, it creates a negative image of the credibility of the enlargement policy of the European Union.

All of this is a result of the double standards and lack of attention and commitment of the European Union in the case of the Republic of Macedonia and its efforts and achievements.

Dear President Tusk, in the past period, in our region, in the region of Southeast Europe, there were two positive examples of parallel movement in the processes of negotiations and overcoming a bilateral difference. Unfortunately, the positive experiences of parallel movement in the integrations between Slovenia and Croatia and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, which yielded results, are not applied in the case of the Republic of Macedonia and Greece. We witnessed that in both cases the EU officials and the leaders of the Member States were actively engaged. I am convinced that if Baroness Ashton dedicated to the Republic of Macedonia at least one third of the time she did devote to the Pristina - Belgrade dialogue, by now we would have had a visible progress in overcoming the name dispute. Regrettably, in our case, from 2009 until now, except for the efforts of the Commissioner Stefan Fule, we have not seen a serious commitment.

I would like to kindly ask you, as a friend of the two countries, to open the issue of unblocking the status quo of the Republic of Macedonia at the European Council. The key question that I believe should be posed to Prime Minister Samaras is: What would Greece lose if the Republic of Macedonia is given a date to start negotiations? I believe it is in the interest of Greece to have at its northern border a European neighbor with higher European standards, criteria and values that would apply not only to its own citizens, but also to Greek tourists and businessmen coming in the Republic of Macedonia. I would like to assure you that the Republic of Macedonia wants to have the best possible relations with our southern neighbor. Our two societies have no problems. The Republic of Macedonia and Greece are politically and strategically linked.

A single gesture, such as the unblocking of the Republic of Macedonia's integrations, would create greater trust and an environment in which the bilateral matter will be resolved. It will undoubtedly contribute to the stability, prosperity and welfare of the entire region of Southeast Europe.

Mr. Tusk, I wish to inform you that the invitation by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Nikola Gruevski, to the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Samaras, for direct talks was not accepted.

I encourage you personally or the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Ms. Mogherini, to increase your engagement in unblocking the Republic of Macedonia and in motivating both Prime Ministers to meet in person and thus overcome the bilateral difference.

With such expectation and hope for your understanding, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration, as well as the warm and sincere greetings from the Republic of Macedonia.

Dr. Gjorge Ivanov