AMSTERDAM: Greece was wrong to veto Macedonia's bid to join NATO in 2008 because of the two countries' long-running dispute over the use of the name Macedonia, the International Court of Justice ruled on Monday.
The dispute has simmered since the former Yugoslav republic broke away from Belgrade in 1991 and adopted a name that Greece feels implies territorial ambitions towards its own northern province of Macedonia.
As a result, Greece is blocking Macedonia's accession to NATO and the European Union until a solution is found in talks that have run for almost two decades.
The ICJ, which settles disputes between states, ruled on Monday that Greece contravened its international agreements when it objected to Macedonia's admission to NATO at the Bucharest Summit in 2008, saying that differences between the two over the name remained unresolved.
"Instead of blocking, Greece should support our integration into international organisations," Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov told reporters in Skopje.
The ruling by the UN court, based in The Hague, does not settle the actual issue regarding the use of the name Macedonia, nor overturn NATO's decision in 2008, but Macedonia said it represented a major step.
"This historical verdict from the court means that Greece cannot legally oppose Macedonia'a membership of NATO," the Macedonian government said in a statement. "This verdict clears a big hurdle for the future negotiations for Macedonia's membership of the EU.
Greece said a settlement should be found through UN-sponsored talks.
"The judgment of today does not address the issue of the difference over the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia," its foreign ministry said in a statement.
Skopje aggravated relations with Greece in September when it unveiled an 11 metre high (39 feet) statue of Alexander the Great to mark 20 years of independence, an act one Western diplomat in Skopje said was like "spilling fuel on a burning fire".
Both Greece and Macedonia claim the ancient warrior-king as their own.
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