Skopje  - The Macedonian government launched a complaint against Greece before the International Court of Justice for blocking Skopje's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Macedonian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"Macedonia has filed an application with the registrar of the Court to bring Greece into compliance with its legal obligations under the Interim Accord of September 13,
1995," read the statement on the ministry's website.

The statement said the Interim Accord obliged Greece "not to object to Macedonia's application to join NATO."

Macedonia said Greece objected to Macedonia's membership during a NATO summit held in Bucharest in April 2008 which is "a flagrant violation of its obligations under the Interim Accord."

Macedonia and Greece signed the United Nations Interim Accord in 1995 under which both countries committed to continuing negotiations on the dispute over the name Macedonia.

Under the agreement, Greece pledged it would not stop Skopje from entering any international institutions as long as it is done under the provisional name of "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."

During the Bucharest summit, Greece used it veto to block the invitation for Macedonia to join NATO saying name "Macedonia" implied territorial claims over the northern Greek province of the same name.

"We are convinced that the International Court of Justice will help us solve this legal dispute. We are not asking the court to settle this political matter therefore the name dispute is not the matter of our application," Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said in a statement.

"We stay fully committed to all aspects of the Interim Accord, especially the negotiation process with Greece mediated by the UN special representative," he added.

The ruling by the court could take years and so far it is unclear whether the complaint will halt ongoing talks over the name dispute. (dpa)