 What’s in a name? An issue of regional stability
Foreign Minister speaks at CSIS “Transforming South Eastern Europe: A Challenge for Smart Power”
FM Bakoyannis (13 Feb.)”2.5 million Greek Macedonians feel that the very core of their identity is under siege. Why? Because of Skopje’s nationalistic, anachronistic policy of attempting to monopolize Macedonian identity. Our neighbors use the language of the 19th century and they hope to be understood in the 21st. This is not a question of political psychology or mass sentiment. It is an issue of regional stability(…) Under UN auspices, Greece has come to the table with a clear objective: a long-overdue mutually-acceptable, composite solution which includes the geographical term Macedonia and yet makes the mark. This reflects the letter and spirit of the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and of the 1995 Interim Accord. We have engaged in this process constructively and with an open mind. We have proven to be considerably flexible in our quest for a win-win solution. However, our friends in Skopje must also cover some ground. They have not done so this far (...) Alliances and partnerships can only be fostered between countries if there is mutual trust and good neighborly relations.
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"We are Macedonians but we are Slav Macedonians. That's who we are! We have no connection to Alexander the Greek and his Macedonia."
From Kiro Gligorov President of FYROM at Toronto Star newspaper, March 15, 1992
"We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century ... we are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians."
From Kiro Gligorov President of FYROM at the Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992, p. 35 | 
02-15-2008, 02:48 AM
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