North Macedonia–Serbia border

From republic line to treaty

When Macedonia became independent, its borders with Bulgaria, Greece and Albania were already international, but its northern line with Serbia was only an internal Yugoslav boundary. After a 1996 agreement between Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a joint commission met 14 times between 1996 and 2001, using land registers, maps and historical records, and applying the ‘status quo’ of the old line where documents were lacking.^[1]

The foreign ministers initialled the agreement at a regional summit in Skopje on 22 February 2001, and presidents Boris Trajkovski and Vojislav Koštunica signed it the next day. It entered into force on 16 June 2001. About 95% of the new state border matches the old administrative line.^[1]

“We mark the borders, we do not erect walls and we wish them to be opened and transparent.”^[1]

Prohor Pčinjski

Article 7 of the treaty required a separate agreement on access to cultural and historical monuments on each side. It was written with the monastery of Saint Prohor Pčinjski in mind: it lies on the Serbian side of the line but is of spiritual importance to Macedonians, and modern Macedonian statehood was proclaimed there on 2 August 1944.^[1]

The treaty also covered the stretch along Kosovo, then under UN administration as part of Yugoslavia. Kosovo Albanian leaders said they would not recognise the line, and some analysts saw the agreement as one trigger for the armed conflict that broke out in northern and western Macedonia in March 2001.^[1]