Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Overview Travel Warning: Unless on essential business we advise against all travel to Macedonia and suggest you visit one of the following government websites for the latest risk assessment: British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Website: www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp Tel: +44 (0)20 7238 4503/4 US Department of State Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Website: http://voyage.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/destinations/menu General Information Area: 25,713 sq km (9928 sq miles). Note: The former Yugoslav republic of ‘Macedonia’ is only one of three areas of the historical region of ‘Macedonia’, which includes Pirin Macedonia (Bulgaria) and Aegean Macedonia (Greece), with a total area of 66,600 sq km (25,700 sq miles), most of which is in Greece. In deference to Greek sensibilities, the United Nations and other international organisations have formally recognised Macedonia under the interim name of ‘The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’; however this is gradually reverting to ‘The Republic of Macedonia’. Population: 2,031,000 (2000). Population Density: 79.0 per sq km. Capital: Skopje. Population: 444,299 (1994). GEOGRAPHY: Roughly rectangular in shape, and on the strategic Vardar Valley north–south communications route, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic) is landlocked, bordering Serbia to the north, Albania to the west, Greece to the south and Bulgaria to the east. Government: Republic since 1991. Gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Head of State: President Boris Trajkovski since 1999. Head of Government: Premier Branko Crvenkovski since 2002. Language: Macedonian (a slavonic language using the Cyrillic script) is the most widely used language. Albanian, Turkish and Serbo-Croat are also used by ethnic groups. English, French and German are widely spoken. Religion: Over 65 per cent of the population are Eastern Orthodox Macedonians and around 23 per cent are Muslim Albanians. There are also Muslim Turks and Serbian Orthodox minorities. As elsewhere in the former Yugoslav federation, local politics are now strongly divided along national confessional lines. Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October). Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Telephone IDD is available. Country code: 389. Outgoing international code: 00. All telecommunications services are generally working normally. Mobile telephone GSM 900 network operated by Makedonski Telekomunikacii (website: www.mobimak.com.mk). Coverage is limited to the main towns. Internet ISPs include Macedonia On-Line (website: www.mol.com.mk). There are a few Internet cafes in the main towns. Post Services are working normally. Press The main daily newspapers are Dnevnik, Nova Makedonija, Flaka e Vëllazërimit and Vecer (an evening paper). Weekly papers include Puls and Fokus. The Macedonian Times comes out monthly in English and Macedonian. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 17.64 12.10 9.410 6.195 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 15.21 11.82 9.760 1.197 Passport/Visa   Passport Required? Visa Required? Return Ticket Required? British Yes No No Australian Yes Yes No Canadian Yes Yes No USA Yes No No OtherEU Yes No No Japanese Yes No No PASSPORTS: Valid passport required by all. VISAS: Required by all except the following: (a) nationals listed in the chart above; (b) nationals of Barbados, Botswana, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey and Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). Note: (a) Nationals of the following countries need to obtain official approval from the authorities in Macedonia in order to obtain visas: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Cameroon, China (PR), Chile, Congo (Rep), Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Moldova, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Yemen. All other nationals, except Poland, require visas, but their applications do not need to be referred to Skopje. (b) Any holders of travel documents other than a passport must also require approval from Macedonia. Types of visa: Single-entry: £13 (£25*); Double-entry: £17 (£29*); Multiple-entry: £24 (£37*); Business: £24 (£37*). * These prices are for those nationals that require approval from the Macedonian authorities. Validity: Valid for one, two, three or six months. Application to: Nearest Diplomatic or Consular mission (see Contact Addresses section). Application requirements: (a) Application form, which must be submitted in person. (b) Valid passport. (c) Fee payable in cash. (d) For business and private visas a letter of invitation is required. Working days required: Visas are issued within two days, unless approval is needed from Macedonia (see above). Money Currency: Macedonian Denari (Den) = 100 deni. Notes are in denominations of Den5000, 1000, 500, 100, 50 and 10. Coins are in denominations of Den5, 2 and 1, and 50 deni. Currency exchange: All major currencies may be exchanged, but Euros are easiest to exchange. Credit & debit cards: Very limited acceptance. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available. Travellers cheques: To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take cheques in US Dollars or Euros. Currency restrictions: There are no restrictions on the import and export of local or foreign currency. Exchange rate indicators The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Denar against Sterling and the US Dollar: Date: May ’02 Aug ’02 Nov ’02 Feb ’03 £1.00= 96.68 95.64 96.28 90.34 $1.00= 66.35 62.88 60.89 56.74 Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0700-1300. Duty Free The following goods may be imported into Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic) without incurring customs duty: 1 box of cigarettes; 1 bottle of alcohol; gifts to the value of €30.61. Public Holidays Jan 1 2003 New Year’s Day. Jan 6-7 Orthodox Christmas. Mar 8 International Women’s Day May 1 May Day. May 24 St Cyrilus and St Methodius Day. Aug 2 Ilinden (National Holiday). Sep 8 Independence Day. Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Jan 6-7 Orthodox Christmas. Mar 8 International Women’s Day May 1 May Day. May 24 St Cyrilus and St Methodius Day. Aug 2 Ilinden (National Holiday). Sep 8 Independence Day. Health   Special Precautions Certificate Required Yellow Fever No No Cholera No No Typhoid and Polio 1 N/A Malaria No N/A 1: An outbreak of poliomyelitis occurred in the region in 1996, and immunisation is advisable. Immunisation is compulsory for minors resident in Abania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). Vaccination against typhoid is also advised. Food & drink: Mains water is normally chlorinated, and whilst relatively safe may cause mild abdominal upsets. Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat. Other risks: Hepatitis A and Brucellosis are endemic. Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix. Health care: Prescribed medicines must be paid for. There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK but health insurance with emergency repatriation is strongly recommended. Travel - International Note: Visitors should exercise vigilance in northern and western border regions and in Gostivar and Tetovo. For further advice contact a local government travel advice department. AIR: The principal national airlines are Macedonian Ailines – MAT (IN) and Avioimpex (M4) based in Skopje. Other airlines serving Skopje are Croatia Airlines, KLM, Austrian Airlines, Adria Airways and United Airlines. Connections are available to Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Holland, Denmark and Sweden. Approximate flight times: From Skopje to London is approximately 3 hours. International airports: Skopje (SKP) (website: www.airports.com.mk) is 25km (16 miles) from the city. Taxis and buses are available to the city centre (travel time – 25-30 minutes). Airport facilities include duty-free shop (0500-2230), bar and restaurant, bank/bureau de change (0500-2230), baggage facilities, post office (0500-2230) and car hire (Avis and Hertz). Departure tax: None. RAIL: Intercity trains operate five times a day between Skopje and Belgrade (Serbia) via Niš. Trains also run twice daily between Skopje and Thessaloniki (Greece). ROAD: Bus: The international bus station in Skopje serves buses destined for Tirana (Albania), Sofia (Bulgaria), Belgrade (Serbia) and Istanbul (Turkey) which run daily, and buses to Germany which run twice weekly. Travel - Internal AIR: There are no regularly scheduled domestic flights, however there are occasional flights between Ohrid and Skopje. RAIL/ROAD: All the main internal road and rail services are operating normally, with links from Skopje to Kumanovo in the north, to Tetovo in the west, to Stip in the east, to Veles and Gevgelija in the south, and Prilep and Bitola in the southwest. Buses: The bus network in Macedonia is well developed with frequent services from Skopje to Ohrid and Bitola. Long distance buses need to be booked well in advance. Accommodation Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic) has one deluxe/A-class hotel. There are B-class hotels in Skopje and the Ohrid Lake tourist area on the border with Albania and Greece. Introduction Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of) is a mountainous land right at the heart of the Balkans. Its churches and mosques contain many fine examples of art and architecture from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. SKOPJE: Macedonia’s capital is largely new, owing to an earthquake in 1963. There is, however, plenty to see. Skopje Old Town is the most attractive quarter of the city. It is full of shops and restaurants. Here also is the Church of the Holy Saviour with its intricately carved iconostasis (a screen in orthodox churches on which icons are hung). Also to be found in the Old Town are the Kursumli Ani (16th-century) and the Suli An (15th-century) caravanserais and the Daut Pasha Baths with its two large and seven small domes. It now houses the Art Gallery. There are also a number of mosques dating from the Ottoman period, particularly the 15th-century Mustafa Pasha Mosque as well as the old tenth-century Kale Fortress and a magnificent footbridge spanning the River Vardar. Near Skopje is the Nerezi Monastery with the accompanying 12th-century Church of St Pantelejmon housing magnificent Byzantine frescoes. BITOLA: Located 18km (11 miles) from the Greek border, Bitola is the second-largest town in Macedonia. It was an important centre of Ottoman rule and also has the nearby ruins of the Greek city of Heraclea. OHRID: Situated on Lake Ohrid, this is probably the most attractive town in Macedonia. Here St Clement of Ohrid laid the foundations of the first Slav university. In the tenth and 11th centuries Ohrid became the capital of the Macedonian Tsar Samuil. The walls of his fortress still survive and now provide a venue for summer concerts, operas and plays. Near the old fortress are the remains of a Classical theatre. Dotted around this beautiful town are a number of ancient churches, particularly the Cathedral of St Sophia containing some magnificent tenth-century frescoes. Social Profile Food & Drink: Macedonian cuisine is similar to that of Turkey and Greece. Different varieties of kebab can be found almost everywhere, as can dishes such as moussaka (aubergines and potatoes baked in layers with minced meat). National specialities are gravce tavce (beans in a skillet) and the delicious Ohrid trout. Shopping: Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-2000 and Sat 0800-1500. Special Events: For full details contact the Embassy (see Contact Addresses). The following is a list of special events held in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 2003: Feb 19-22 Modest Exclusive (textile, fashion and accessories trade fair), Skopje. Mar 18-23 Mebel (furniture and building equipment trade fair), Skopje. Apr 15-20 International Book Fair and Libro Graphic, Skopje. May 9-18 Spring Bazaar, Skopje. Jun-Aug Skopje Summer Festival, Skopje; Ohrid Summer Festival, Ohrid. Sep 6 Macedonia vs England (Euro 2004 football qualification match). Oct Skopje Jazz Festival, Skopje. Nov Autumn Bazaar, Skopje. Social Conventions: Handshaking is the common practice on introduction. Local business protocol is fairly informal, but things go very slowly or not at all owing to the local bureaucracy and the more recent general socio-economic collapse in the Republic. Business Profile Economy: As one of the six former Yugoslav republics, Macedonia accounted for just six per cent of total Yugoslav output. It was the most dependent on federal government subsidies but these vanished along with guaranteed markets in Yugoslavia when the old central economic planning system ceased in 1991. However, since then, the economy has been further undermined by regional strife – the civil war in the neighbouring Serbian province of Kosovo, instability in Albania, and most recently the conflict between the Government and Albanian nationalists – which has also deterred investment from the region. Macedonia has a predominantly agricultural economy in which the main products are rice, wine and wheat (for export), fruit and vegetables, cheese, lamb and tobacco for domestic consumption. Food processing is a major component of the industrial sector which also produces metal goods, chemicals and textiles. Many families are dependent for their survival on remittances from émigré Macedonians working elsewhere in Europe. Unemployment remains exceptionally high at around 40 per cent, with the result that a thriving black economy – a characteristic of most of the southern Balkans – is operating. Reconstruction in Macedonia is closely linked to a number of factors: the settlement of the territorial dispute with Greece; the cancellation of old debts from the Yugoslav era; and the resolution of the conflict with Albanian nationalists have all improved Macedonia’s economic prospects. Thus, in the spring of 2002, international donors including the IMF, World Bank and the European Union, were able to authorise a US$500 million aid package. Business: Suits and ties are correct attire for men, with skirt, blouse and tights the accepted attire for women. English, French and German are spoken in most business circles. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-1530. Commercial Information: The following organisations can offer advice: National Bank of Macedonia, Kompleks Banki bb, PO Box 401, 1000 Skopje (tel: (2) 108 108; fax: (2) 108 357; website: www.nbrm.gov.mk); or Economic Chamber of Macedonia, PO Box 324, St Dimitrie Cupovski br. 13, 1000 Skopje (tel: (2) 118 088; fax: (2) 116 210; e-mail: ic@ic.mchamber.org.mk; website: www.mchamber.org.uk). Climate As a landlocked country, the Republic of Macedonia has a pronounced continental climate, with very cold winters and hot summers. Required clothing: Mediumweight clothing and very warm overcoats in winter; lightweight clothing and raincoats required for the summer. History and Government History: An ancient, strategically important and much-contested territory, the historical region known as Macedonia was variously controlled by the Greeks, Romans, Bulgarians, Byzantines, Serbs and Ottoman Turks, who conquered the area in 1371, and kept it until the 19th century. Then, as Turkish power declined, Macedonia once again became a bone of contention between its various neighbours and their respective superpower allies. In 1893, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO) was founded to promote independence. In 1912/13, the Balkan Wars drove the Turks out of the area, and it was carved up between Serbia and Greece, with Bulgaria retaining only a small part. Vardar Macedonia became part of the new 'Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes' in 1918 (‘Yugoslavia’ from 1929). This caused much anti-Serbian resentment locally during the inter-war period, when the IMRO was also used as a terrorist organisation against Belgrade by Bulgaria, which again occupied the area under German direction during World War II. In 1945, the area became a constituent republic of the new communist Yugoslav federation, which the Serbs opposed. Thereafter a new ‘Macedonian’ nation was created, but this was never accepted as legitimate by any of the republic’s neighbours. In December 1990, following the collapse of communism in Yugoslavia, Macedonia held its first multi-party elections for the 120-seat national assembly, the Sobranje. The results, from a very low turn-out, were inconclusive. The electorate converged upon four main parties: a rejuvenated version of IMRO; the former communist Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDAM), which evolved from the former Communist Party; the Liberal Party of Macedonia (LPM) and the Democratic Prosperity Party (DPP), which drew support from the country’s sizeable Albanian minority. Throughout the 1990s, and two further elections, the country was governed by a series of coalition governments led by either IMRO or SDAM. The most recent Sobranje election in September 2002 returned another SDAM-led coalition under a new premier, Branko Crvenkovski. Other than the emergence of the Democratic Union for Integration, which supplanted the DPP as the main custodian of Albanian interests, the complexion of the new assembly is similar to previous ones. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s quest for international recognition ran up against fierce objections from Greece, which felt that Skopje’s use of the title ‘Macedonia’ implies a territorial claim against Aegean Macedonia in Greece, given that it corresponds with the northern Greek province of the same name (the ancient name ‘Paeonia’ is preferred in Athens). During 1993, the Greek government took a more conciliatory line, and Macedonia was admitted to the UN on April 3 1993 under the temporary name ‘The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’. In October 1995, an accord was reached between the two countries – and accepted by the two parliaments – which resolved all outstanding disputes between them, including the flag, but not the name, which continues as the unprepossessing ‘FYROM’ for official purposes. The settlement of this dispute was vital to the Macedonians not only for their status as a sovereign state but also economically, since the Greeks had instituted a trade embargo to pressure Skopje into a settlement. After the resolution of the dispute with Greece, Macedonia was consumed by inter-communal violence between the majority Slavic population and the country’s Albanian minority – this was closely related to the conflict across Macedonia’s northern border in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. Much of this occurred during the latter part of 1997, just as confidence in the Government was being seriously undermined by a financial crisis caused by the collapse of ‘pyramid’ financial schemes similar (though on a much smaller scale) to those which caused the Albanian economy to collapse the same year. In October 1998, violence in neighbouring Kosovo drove many refugees into Macedonia until the Skopje government closed the border. The situation remained relatively quiet until the beginning of 2001 when a series of clashes took place between Macedonian security forces and resurgent Albanian guerrillas. Over the next few months, it appeared at times that Macedonia would be the last of the former Yugoslav republics to be consumed by civil war. Urgent diplomacy managed to produce an agreement in August 2001 under which the guerrillas agreed to hand over their weapons in exchange for guaranteed political and cultural rights for the Albanian population. The same month, NATO – having perhaps learnt some of the lessons of Bosnia and Kosovo – despatched a 3,000-strong force to supervise the implementation of the accord. The NATO force, after extending its mandate, will remain in place until December 2002 when it is expected to be replaced by a wholly European peacekeeping force. Government: Legislative power rests with the elected 120-seat national assembly, the Sobranje. Executive authority is wielded by the elected State President who appoints the Council of Ministers. In September 1996, new legislation was approved, dividing the FYROM into 123 municipalities. In July 1998, parliament adopted a new electoral system. Under the new legislation, parliamentarians are elected by a mixture of a majoritarian, constituency-based system and proportional representation: of 120 seats, 85 are elected by the former and 35 by the latter. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.