After returning from a recent trip to Beijing, the director of Macedonia's presidential office will produce a report on his visit to the president and the Macedonian Cabinet regarding the possible switch of ties to China, sources said yesterday.
Zoran Jolevski, the director of Macedonia's presidential office, departed for Beijing on May 24 for a one-week visit for discussions on re-establishing diplomatic ties between Skopje and Beijing.
One foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Jolevski's trip to China as "a fact-finding mission," adding that "he is to produce a report for the president, and the report is likely to be reviewed by the Cabinet."
China yesterday urged Macedonia to work toward resuming diplomatic ties, which were interrupted two years ago over Macedonia's decision to recognize Taiwan.
"Conforming to the various principles set out in the communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Macedonia ... serves the fundamental interest of the two countries and the two peoples," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao (
A Beijing-based Balkan source said Jolevski was already engaged in talks with Chinese officials.
But Zhu declined to confirm that a ranking Macedonian delegation was in Beijing.
Katharine Chang (張小月), a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said relations between Skopje and Taipei remained intact despite dissonance within the Macedonian government.
"There is no consensus within Macedonia over this issue. Prime Minister Ljubcho Georgievski was firmly supportive of ties with Taiwan whereas the foreign minister advocated re-establishing ties with China," Chang said.
"This important issue is to be discussed during the Cabinet meeting and the Prime Minister has the final say," Chang said.
Macedonia's new Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva said on May 25 that "The establishment of diplomatic relations with Taiwan two years ago was a blunder. My position concerning the People's Republic of China is that this country, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a friend that constantly supports us," the Utrinski Vesnik newspaper quoted Mitreva as saying.
"Because of the statements by the Macedonian foreign minister, we are very closely watching the situation and adopting every possible means to secure ties," Chang said.
Mitreva is a member of the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia, formerly the Communist Party, which joined Macedonia's new coalition government on May 13.
The social democrats took up the posts of foreign minister as well as defense minister during the latest round of government reshuffling in the capital of Skopje.
The government is currently composed of a coalition of seven parties.
Despite efforts made yesterday by Taiwan's ambassador to Macedonia Peter Cheng (
"Today he was unable to make arrangements with people he had intended to visit. ... As many were pre-occupied with domestic issues, the effort to make related arrangements turned out to be less-than-smooth," a staffer at the embassy told the Taipei Times.
Cheng has been unable to meet with the party chief of the social alliance, which has long been opposed to ties between Taipei and Skopje, the foreign ministry official said.
Plans for 31 Taiwanese firms to visit Macedonia on June 2 for an international consumer goods exhibition remained unchanged, according to Chang.
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