Although crisis-torn Macedonia has yet to formally announce a switch in recognition from Taipei to Beijing, a decision to do so has already been made, according to Macedonian government spokesman Antonio Miloshoski.
"The political decision was made during the last government session on Tuesday that Macedonia will try to normalize our relations with the People's Republic of China," Miloshoski told the Taipei Times yesterday. "But so far we haven't made a decision on when, how and on what level we'll extend this due political move."
Vasko Andonovski, spokesman for Macedonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied yesterday reports that the Macedonian foreign ministry would announce its decision to re-establish diplomatic ties with China.
"I don't have such information," Andonovski said.
"The government has made a political decision [on Tuesday] because of the situation -- in that China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, so it's better for us to normalize our relations with Beijing," Andonovski said.
"But nothing is done officially. We still have not broken relations with Taiwan, nor have we established relations with China," Andonovski added.
Miloshoski announced that Macedonia is currently preparing to send a delegation to China to discuss the signing of related documents.
"I know they, including our minister of foreign affairs, are preparing to fly to Beijing. A Macedonian delegation will fly to Beijing to sign a common statement or a common declaration," Miloshoski said.
But Andonovski said that such a move would not take place before Macedonia formally informs Taiwan of its decision to normalize Skopje's relations with Beijing.
"A Macedonian delegation can't go before we inform the Taiwan government that we are breaking relations and that we are going to normalize our relations with Beijing," Andonovski said.
Andonovski also declined to comment on allegations that a delegation from Beijing was to fly to Skopje to discuss related matters.
When asked when Skopje would inform Taipei of the severance of ties between the two countries, Andonovski said: "I don't know. I can only say that it will be soon as our Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva said a few days ago."
Mitreva is scheduled to appear on a TV talk show to discuss politics, and the question of ties with Taiwan and China is likely to be raised during the show, Andonovski said.
Commenting on the shaky ties between Taipei and Skopje, Katharine Chang, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conceded that "the situation is disadvantageous to us, so we'll be closely monitoring any related developments."
Chang also said if Skopje was to break diplomatic ties with Taipei, Taiwan will not accept any alternative to official ties such as some form of representative office, as some reports have suggested.
Chang said that the issue to switch recognition to Beijing was raised by Mitreva at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, but Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski decided to continue negotiations between the parties over the proposal.
On Wednesday, Taiwan's embassy in Skopje issued a sternly worded statement, threatening to end all assistance Taiwan has offered to the Balkan state and demanding the immediate repayment of loans to the war-torn nation.
Georgievski, who favors maintaining ties with Taiwan, was forced to include pro-Beijing parties in a new government of national unity, composed of seven parties, to confront an ethnic Albanian guerrilla uprising.
Taiwan and Macedonia both established diplomatic ties in January of 1999, but without notifying then Macedonian president Kiro Gligorov.
Angered by the move, Beijing, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, abruptly broke off its ties with Skopje and vetoed a six-month extension of a UN peacekeeping force in Macedonia
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