THE RISE AND FALL

MACEDONIAN - RUSSIAN RELATIONS IN THE POST SOVIET PERIOD

Abstract

The end of the 20th century has brought important transformations to the European continent. Europe
has experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. The change of the political map and
the birth of new states, whether in the former Yugoslav or Soviet space, has enabled their
internationalization and establishment of bilateral communication and relation with many countries. In
this context, global powers saw new possibilities for influence and presence in different areas. This
article analyses the interstate bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Russian
Federation during the post-Soviet period with focus on several “hot” topics: Russian position during
2001 conflict, Macedonian - Greek name dispute and Russian attitude regarding the integration of the
country in NATO. The main argument of the paper is that the improvement or deterioration of RussianMacedonian relations, their rise and fall over time has been influenced by the general climate of the
Russian-Western relations.