DIALOGUE OF SKOPJE AND TIRANA AND THE “ALBANIAN QUESTION”: RESOLUTION OF CONTRADICTIONS ON THE WAY TO EURO INTEGRATION

AbstractAfter the declaration of independence, the Republic of North Macedonia began tobuild an independent foreign policy, in which relations with Albania occupied an importantplace. The Albanian government, like the Macedonian government, carried out a democratictransition, which was complicated for Tirana by the way out of the isolation of the socialistperiod. Therefore, building a mutually beneficial dialogue was necessary for both republics.The relations between Tirana and Skopje reflect the general regional processes in the Balkansafter the collapse of the SFRY, the main of which was the process of political fragmentation.For a long time, the Macedonian policy towards Albania depended on the impossibilityof resolving the name dispute with Greece and on the absence of a democratic transition inthe FRY. The existence of a threat to national security brought the two states closer together.In the future, the interests of the two republics often coincided, which was reflected in jointparticipation in regional organizations aimed at accelerating the European integration of theWestern Balkan region.Difficulties in relations between the two states were associated with the activities ofthe Albanian minority in the Macedonian republic and with the protection of the rights ofethnic Albanians. The “Albanian question” became especially important in 2001, during theconflict between the Macedonian army and the extremist pro-Albanian organization. Taking aloyal point towards both the Macedonian Albanian minority and the Kosovar Albanians whosuffered from the 1998 crisis, the Macedonian government was forced to respond to separatistdemonstrations, which complicated the dialogue with Tirana. But soon the expansion of therights of the Albanian minority in the Republic of North Macedonia and giving the Albanianlanguage the status of the second official language smoothed the acuteness in Albanian-Macedonian relations. This was also facilitated by the recognition by the Macedoniangovernment of Kosovo sovereignty in 2008.Thus, relations with Albania continue to occupy a key position in the foreign policyof North Macedonia in the context of the larger processes taking place in the Balkan region

THE NORTH ATLANTIC DIRECTION OF THE REPUBLIC`S OF NORTH MACEDONIA FOREIGN POLICY

After the declaration of independence, the Republic of North Macedonia began to build independent foreign policy, the most important place in which was occupied by relations with the United States and NATO. In the context of the collapse of the bipolar system and instability in the Balkan region, cooperation with Brussels and Washington was of particular importance for the Macedonian republic.Macedonian policy towards the United States and NATO in the first decade of its independent existence was determined by the unstable situation in the region caused by the lack of democratic transit in the FRY. The existence of a threat to national security from the Milosevic regime forced the Macedonian republic to actively cooperate with the Alliance, which was primarily expressed in joining the Partnership for Peace program in 1995.During the conflict of the Macedonian army with an extremist pro-Albanian organization in 2001, the United States and NATO (along with the EU) participated in the settlement process, which led to the signing of the Ohrid Agreements. In the future, the “North Atlantic vector” of Skopje’s foreign policy became clearer, which was explained by the need to resolve the name dispute with Greece. In line with this process, the recognition of the Macedonian republic by the United States under the constitutional name took place, as well as a similar decision by Skopje in relation to Kosovo. With the beginning of the crisis in relations between Russia and the United States in 2013 the movement of most states of the Balkan region (including Macedonia) towards NATO has become more intense, as a result of which the Republic of North Macedonia became a member of the North Atlantic Alliance in 2020.Thus, relations with the United States and NATO currently occupy a key position in the foreign policy of the Republic of North Macedonia in the context of larger processes

СЕРБСКОЕ И ТУРЕЦКОЕ НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ ВНЕШНЕЙ ПОЛИТИКИ СЕВЕРНОЙ МАКЕДОНИИ: ПРОБЛЕМНЫЕ ТОЧКИ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

После объявления независимости Северная Македония стала выстраиватьсамостоятельную внешнюю политику, важное место в которой занималивзаимоотношения с государствами-соседями, в частности, с Сербией и Турцией.Сербское и турецкое направления внешней политики Македонской республикизначительно отличаются друг от друга, но при этом отражают общерегиональныепроцессы на Балканах после распада СФРЮ.Македонская политика в отношении Сербии долго зависела от невозможностиосуществления демократического транзита в СРЮ и была нацелена на нейтрализациювозможной агрессии со стороны соседа. Отношения между государствами осложнялисьи вопросом самостоятельности Македонской Православной Церкви, которую непризнавал Белград. Дополнительной сложностью стало намерение Македонскойреспублики присоединиться к НАТО, неприязненную позицию к которому занималосербское руководство во главе с С. Милошевичем. Смена власти в Сербии в 2000г. положительно повлияла на процессы демократизации на Балканах и на сербомакедонские взаимоотношения. Однако после признания македонским правительствомсуверенитета Косова в 2008 г. отношения между Скопье и Белградом вновь осложнились.Турецкий вектор внешней политики Северной Македонии был и остаетсяболее стабильным в силу ряда причин, первой из которых было признание Турциейконституционного (в 1991-2019 гг.) названия македонского государства вопрекипротестам Греции. Это связано с традиционным антигреческим направлением турецкойполитики. Турция стала одним из основных внешнеэкономических партнеров молодойМакедонской республики. Сотрудничество с Турцией, государством-членом НАТО,представляло важность для македонского государства в условиях нестабильностив Косово. В последние годы экономическое сотрудничество с Турцией приобрелодля Северной Македонии особый характер ввиду участия турецкой республики вмасштабных энергетических проектах.Таким образом, отношения с двумя соседними государствами продолжаютзанимать ключевое положение во внешней политике Северной Македонии в контекстеболее крупных процессов, происходящих в балканском регионе

Quantum K-theory of Quiver Varieties and Many-Body Systems

We define quantum equivariant K-theory of Nakajima quiver varieties. We discuss type A in detail as well as its connections with quantum XXZ spin chains and trigonometric Ruijsenaars-Schneider models. Finally we study a limit which produces a K-theoretic version of results of Givental and Kim, connecting quantum geometry of flag varieties and Toda lattice.Comment: v3: 33 pages, some clarifications and correction