Diplomatic ties between Taipei and Skopje hang by a delicate thread, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
"Despite a respite, uncertainties still plague Taiwan's relations with Macedonia," ministry spokeswoman Katharine Chang (張小月) told a news conference.
On Tuesday, Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva proposed the newly formed Cabinet consider switching recognition from Taipei to Beijing, a motion that was staved off by Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski on the grounds of procedural flaws, Chang said.
The closed-door meeting later arrived at a decision, whereby President Boris Trajkovski will consult different parties before bringing the issue up for discussion, likely in the next Cabinet meeting, Macedonian sources said.
Indicating that relations have been given only a short reprieve, the ministry dares not relent in its ongoing diplomatic tug-of-war with Beijing, Chang said.
"We are closely watching the situation in the European country as factors unfavorable to Taiwan still exist," Chang said.
Anxious to quell an internal armed uprising, Skopje is likely to cut ties with Taipei in a bid to woo support from the UN Security Council -- of which China is a permanent, veto-wielding member -- in order to secure a UN peace keeping mission for its border areas.
Peter Cheng (鄭博久), Taiwan's ambassador to Macedonia, said that the latest developments reveal Macedonian President Trajkovski's stand on Taipei-Skopje ties, but he still must overcome opposition from most members of the new Cabinet.
Like his predecessor, Traj-kovski has refused to recognize Cheng's credentials, although Skopje has received more than US$190 million in aid, loans and investment from Taiwan over the last two years.
On Monday he said Macedonia intended to follow the EU's policy on Taiwan -- ie, diplomatic ties with Beijing and trade links with Taipei. However, Taiwan has said that it will not accept any arrangement that discounts the country's dignity and integrity.
"We're hard pressed on all sides," Cheng said during an interview. "But we will not settle for anything less than full diplomatic relations." The tough line marks a departure from the pragmatic policy Taiwan has embraced to boost its international profile over the last decade.
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