AN OVERVIEW OF THE DISPUTE BETWEEN NORTH MACEDONIA AND BULGARIA THROUGH THE OPTIC OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

Donika KAMBERI

Abstract

Often disputes and conflicts are present among states consequently, international law requires peaceful means for dispute settlement. From a legal perspective, the dispute settlement in international law constitutes some obligations for states to solve their disputes in harmony with the international law by using the peaceful means so they can choose between diplomatic, judicial and institutional means. Quite often bilateral disputes have been crucial barrier and obstacle for EU enlargement process to occur, especially in the South-Eastern Europe. The dispute between North Macedonia and Greece and North Macedonia and Bulgaria has had a significant impact in this direction. Clearly, when it comes to history, culture and identity states favor national interest over European interest. This paper strives to contribute in the recent debate about the dispute settlement between North Macedonia and Bulgaria regarding the identity issues. The neighbors have a long-lasting dispute, which resulted in Bulgaria vetoing North Macedonia’s path to EU accession. It is characteristic that the dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia is of ‘diverging narratives’ of the past and the dispute does not stop neighbors to cooperate on economic level. The paper goes beyond the political interpretations of the dispute and attempts to examine the legal background so in this paper I’ll try to explain the role of international law in the resolution of disputes between two states. The dispute between North Macedonia and Bulgaria it is becoming an acute problem in the region because it blockades North Macedonia’s path towards EU membership due to Bulgarian veto in this direction North Macedonia, for instance, has affected Albania’s European path through the current coupling of the two countries’ accession process, because the bloc is treating the pair as a political package. The issue is treated from both sides pointing out increasingly divergent interpretations of the past regarding language, history and culture and it is evident that there is no quick fix for this dispute however solving it will be a panacea for the long list of other regional disputes occurring in the Western Balkan region.

Pages: 69 - 75