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[Hellenicoz]

FYROM Troubled by Serbia“Name” Statement
Skopje, Belgrade | 21 November 2009


Serbia’s president Boris Tadic late Thursday sought to smooth ruffled feathers, after his foreign minister Vuk Jeremic said his country supports Greece’s position in the 18-year name row between Skopje and Athens.



Tadic pointed out that Serbia has recongised the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) under its constitutional name Republic of Macedonia and that will not change. Tadic clarified this in a meeting with his Former Yugoslav Macedonian counterpart Georgi Ivanov, who was in Belgrade for the burial of Serbian Patriarch Pavle.
That same day, Jeremic at a joint press conference with this Greek counterpart said that “Serbia understands
Greece's position in the name dispute with the country whose capital is Skopje”. He avoided mentioning the
official name of the country, Republicof Macedonia, that Greecedisputes.

"We support the position of the Government of Greece, which is a reasonable, balanced and
rational," Serbia's daily newspaper Danas quoted Jeremic as saying.

Ivanov, upon hearing Jeremic’s statement, had previously in protest decided not to attend a state
reception organised for statesmen who came to the Patriarch’s burial.
FYROM's media interpreted Jeremic’s statement as a reciprocal move after Skopje last month angered Belgrade by establishing diplomatic ties with Kosovo.
During their meeting, Ivanov and Tadic marked their different views on the issue of Kosovo’s independence but pointed out that both countries have a mutual interest in preserving the peace and stability in the region.
Last year, Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO accession over the 18 years-long name spat. Athens insists that Skopje’s official name implies territorial claims towards its own northern province-- also called Macedonia.

[Hellenicoz]

FYROM:Anti Name Change Protests Announced
Skopje | 21 November 2009


A string of protest rallies will be staged in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and abroad in a bid to have the talks with Greece suspended, the so-called resistance movement against changing the constitutional name of Republic of Macedonia said.




The movement acts with support of several NGO’s and civic associations including the World Macedonian Congress, and ex-pat communities such as the United Macedonians in Canada and Former Yugoslav Macedonian communities in the United States, Australia and Europe.

Protests will be staged on 20 November and 27 November in front of the EU Mission in Skopje.
A protest march will also be organised on 2 December in front of the government and parliament buildings, the organisers said.

“The series of protest rallies… are expected to send a strong message for immediate and unconditional termination of negotiations with Athens regarding the constitutional name "Republic of Macedonia" the head of the World Macedonian Congress, Todor Petrov told a news conference on Thursday.

The movement plans to stage protests in several cities across the world on 6 December, just one day before the EU Council’s meeting where member states will decide whether to give Skopje a date to start EU accession negotiations.

Last year Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO accession over the 18 years-long spat. Athens insists that Skopje’s official name, the Republic of Macedonia, implies territorial claims towards its own northern province - also called Macedonia.

Local media speculate that some version of the compound name Northern Macedonia to clearly distinct the state from the Greek province is still on the table at the UN sponsored “name” talks between the two countries.

In 1993 due to Greece’s pressure FYROM agreed to enter the UN under the provisional reference "Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", FYROM, pending a resolution of the long-running dispute.

[Hellenicoz]

FYROM-Greece Meeting Announced
Skopje | 23 November 2009


The prime ministers of neighboring FYROM and Greece, Nikola Gruevski and George Papandreou, will convene on Friday to talk about ways of resolving their 18 years long name row.

The two will convene at the sidelines of a trilateral climate change meeting between Albania, FYROM and Greece which will take place on Greek territory near the Prespa Lake, a focal point where the three countries borders intersect, the A1 TV reports, citing unnamed sources.

After the trilateral, Papandreou and Gruevski will have a tête-à-tête to try to find a modality to overcome their differences on the name issue.

The meeting will take place some ten days before EU member states are due to meet on 7 December, where they are expected to decide whether to give a date for FYROM's accession talks with the bloc. Athens has threatened to block the giving of a date, pending a solution to the name dispute.

Media speculate that given the short period prior to the EU Council meeting, Gruevski and Papandreou can only focus on finding a mutually acceptable name, leaving discussions about its span of use and other details for later.

Last year Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO accession arguing that the country’s constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia implies territorial claims towards its own northern province which is also called Macedonia.

The European Commission last month gave FYROM an added incentive to resolve the name dispute by recommending the EU gives Skopje a start date for accession negotiations into the bloc, but left the decision on the date to member states.

EU officials have repeatedly urged the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to seize the moment, keeping in mind also that there has been a change of government in Greece with the election of Papandreou - who is seen as less hawkish regarding the name issue than his predecessor Kostas Karamanlis.

Gruevski and Papandreou recently had a short courtesy meeting in Brussels to break the diplomatic ice between the two countries that has lasted for almost four years.

Media have been citing unnamed Brussels diplomats as saying that Commission will make a last ditch attempt to find a mechanism to resolve the dispute ahead of 7 December.

They say that some version of the name Northern Macedonia may be on the table.

[Hellenicoz]

No Results as Greece, FYROM PMs Meet
Skopje | 27 November 2009


There were no significant steps forward in the Athens-Skopje “name” row. But there were signs of improved bilateral relations after the prime ministers of Greece and FYROM, George Papandreou and Nikola Gruevski, met on Friday afternoon in Greece near their bilateral border.

“We were told that Greece keeps positions... so in that respect we cannot talk about any progress,” Gruevski told media after the talks. “We will continue our meetings and thus increase the chances for a solution to be found.”

The two met on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting on climate change that included Albania.

The tête-à-tête meeting was seen as an opportunity to make significant progress on the 18-year-old name row, which now threatens to derail FYROM's chances of getting a start date for EU accession negotiations after the Commission recommended that member states fix a date at their meeting on 7 December. Greece has threatened to block FYROM's EU accession process pending a solution to the dispute.

Papandreou expressed hope for solving name dispute. “The issue goes back 18 years and it can’t be solved in a few days. I’m hopeful that in the next few months we can find an acceptable solution,” he told Greek media.

Papandreou pointed out that name talks will continue under UN patronage.

Last year Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO accession arguing that the country’s constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia implies territorial claims towards its own northern province which is also called Macedonia. Greece has now threatened to also block FYROM's EU accession.

Local media argue that variations of the name Northern Macedonia are being considered as a possible compromise option.

The European Commission Chief Jose Manuel Barroso will meet FYROM’s Prime Minister on 2 December. This is seen by observers as the last chance for some progress ahead of the EU Council session.

[Hellenicoz]

Croatia Proposes Macedonia Name Row Arbitration
Skopje | 04 December 2009


The Skopje-Athens name row could be solved via international arbitration, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic told journalists after meeting his Former Yugoslav Macedonian counterpart Georgi Ivanov on Thursday in Skopje.


Croatia is nearing the end of its EU accession talks. Zagreb's talks were stalled for almost a year when neighboring Slovenia blocked Croatia's accession due to an unresolved bilateral border dispute. The two countries reached a deal earlier this year whereby their dispute would be settled via arbitration in return for Slovenia lifting its veto on Croatia's accession to the EU.

"There are few modalities to bridge the impasse - the first option is to freeze the dispute until FYROM achieves its foreign policy goals,” Mesic said, referring to Skopje's top foreign policy priorities as NATO and EU membership.

“The other option is an arbitration that would put aside the bilateral dispute and allow FYROM to proceed with its EU accession negotiations. The other option is to proceed with bilateral negotiations through full compliance with all historical arguments," the Croatian president said.

In October the European Commission recommended member states give FYROM a start date for EU accession talks. Member states meet on 7 December under the auspices of the EU Council. Greece has threatened to block any decision to give Skopje a start date pending a solution to the 18-year-old row.

Ivanov said he expects Macedonia to be given a date for launching EU accession talks on 7 December.

Athens already blocked Skopje’s NATO accession last year. Athens insists that Skopje’s constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, implies territorial claims towards its own northern province called Macedonia.

The ongoing UN sponsored bilateral talks for reaching a compromise solution have so far failed to reach a result. FYROM refuses to change the name under Greek pressure and argues it its name is closely linked with its national identity and pride.

[Hellenicoz]

Croatia Proposes Macedonia Name Row Arbitration
Skopje | 04 December 2009


The Skopje-Athens name row could be solved via international arbitration, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic told journalists after meeting his Former Yugoslav Macedonian counterpart Georgi Ivanov on Thursday in Skopje.


Croatia is nearing the end of its EU accession talks. Zagreb's talks were stalled for almost a year when neighboring Slovenia blocked Croatia's accession due to an unresolved bilateral border dispute. The two countries reached a deal earlier this year whereby their dispute would be settled via arbitration in return for Slovenia lifting its veto on Croatia's accession to the EU.

"There are few modalities to bridge the impasse - the first option is to freeze the dispute until FYROM achieves its foreign policy goals,” Mesic said, referring to Skopje's top foreign policy priorities as NATO and EU membership.

“The other option is an arbitration that would put aside the bilateral dispute and allow FYROM to proceed with its EU accession negotiations. The other option is to proceed with bilateral negotiations through full compliance with all historical arguments," the Croatian president said.

In October the European Commission recommended member states give FYROM a start date for EU accession talks. Member states meet on 7 December under the auspices of the EU Council. Greece has threatened to block any decision to give Skopje a start date pending a solution to the 18-year-old row.

Ivanov said he expects Macedonia to be given a date for launching EU accession talks on 7 December.

Athens already blocked Skopje’s NATO accession last year. Athens insists that Skopje’s constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, implies territorial claims towards its own northern province called Macedonia.

The ongoing UN sponsored bilateral talks for reaching a compromise solution have so far failed to reach a result. FYROM refuses to change the name under Greek pressure and argues it its name is closely linked with its national identity and pride.

There were always Greek Macedonians, Bulgarian Macedonians and Albanian Macedonians. In 1945 Yugoslav Macedonians appeared for the first time. As of 1991,FYROM continues to monopolize the terms Macedonia and Macedonians. This is not a matter for arbitration and it could have easily become a reason for war with its neighbors, if not for the persistent UN efforts. If FYROM indeed does not intend to continue claiming territory from Greece, Bulgaria and Albania ( as the "Peoples' Republic of Macedonia" did since 1945) then the choise is simple and no arbitration is needed:to accept a composite name for all uses and a composite name also for its nationality, language,copyrights etc. Simple and clear, is it not?

[Hellenicoz]

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Left Empty-Handed at Brussels Summit
Brussels, Skopje | 10 December 2009


At the NATO meeting in Bucharest, Greece again wields its VETO to dash Skopje’s hopes of entering an important international organisation.

[Hellenicoz]

Australia “Least Likely” to Recognise FYROM as "Macedonia"
Skopje | 11 December 2009


Despite good bilateral relations Australia will continue using the provisional name of "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM) which is the name the country used to enter the UN, visiting Speaker of Australia's House of Representatives told media in Skopje on Friday.

Everything is possible, “but it is least likely” that Australia's parliament launch an initiative to recognise FYROM under its constitutional name, Jenkins said after meeting his Former Yugoslav Macedonian counterpart Trajko Veljanovski.

During Jenkins’s visit the two countries signed a social security agreement that will enable the Former Yugoslav Macedonian diaspora living in Australia receive pensions and disability insurance if they return to FYROM and vice versa.

The Australian speaker also attended a reception hosted by President Gjorgi Ivanov.

Greece and FYROM have been waging an 18-year-long battle over the country's name, with Greece insisting Skopje changes its name.

Canberra, which also has a significant Greek diaspora living in the country, recognises Skopje under the provisional UN reference, FYROM, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a name that the country used in 1993 to enter the UN and avoid a Greek blockade.

[Hellenicoz]

Greece-FYROM Informal Meeting in Copenhagen
Skopje | 17 December 2009


The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM's) President Georgi Ivanov, Thursday met briefly with the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, local media report.

The two praised the recently established practice of more frequent high level bilateral meetings which should contribute to better understanding between the two countries, FYROM's MIA news agency said.

"Both societies communicate and cooperate without any problems. Such communication will undoubtedly increase with the visa liberalisation," Ivanov was cited by MIA as saying after the informal talks.

Ivanov reaffirmed his invitation to Greek President Karolos Papoulias to visit his country.

There were no details whether the long standing name spat between the two neighbors, was tackled.

Ivanov said that the 18 years long row is a consequence of past times and old prejudices. He expressed hope that Greece would overcome its prejudices and stop blocking FYROM’s NATO and EU integration.

In the last two months Greece's Prime Minister has met his Former Yugoslav Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski twice. He has also talked to FYROM’s Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki. These meetings come after nearly four years of virtually no high level bilateral meetings.

Earlier this month Greece blocked the EU from offering FYROM a start date for EU accession negotiations. Last year it vetoed FYROM's entry into NATO, and said it will continue to do so until FYROM changes its constitutional name.

[Hellenicoz]

Greece, FYROM Must Meet Half Way
Skopje | 05 January 2010


The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) must meet Greece half way on the name issue if a settlement for the long standing spat is to be found, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said.

Athens has already made concessions by accepting a name that would include Macedonia with a geographic determinant, Papandreou said in an interview for the Belgrade-based newspaper "Vecernje Novosti".

“Either we'll find a mutually acceptable solution, working together in the spirit of cooperation and helping our nations to strengthen their friendly ties, or we'll continue renewing the issue by taking extreme stances and by making nationalistic rhetoric our daily political food,” Papandreou said.

The unresolved 18-year-long spat left FYROM’s NATO and EU aspirations in question due to the Greek blockade.

Last month Greece prevented the EU countries from extending a date for the start of FYROM’s EU accession talks.

In 2008 Athens also blocked Skopje’s NATO accession over the same issue. Athens insists that Skopje’s constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia implies territorial claims towards Greece’s own northern province, also called Macedonia.

The UN sponsored bilateral name talks have so far been in vain, but the EU and US are pressing for a speedy solution.

[Hellenicoz]

Slavs Macedonians recognising the truth in 2009

Here are some official clips on FYROM TV of slavs recognising that they have no
connection with the Ancient Macedonians of GREECE

Hopefully this trend will continue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HvKPiLY ... _embedded#

[Hellenicoz]

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM):
All-Albanian Coalition Idea Rejected
Skopje | 12 February 2010


The main ethnic Albanian parties in FYROM have expressly rejected the idea of forming an all-Albanian coalition to stand in opposition to the ruling party of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

The proposal came from the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, Menduh Thaci. In an interview with the Albanian Top Channel on Wednesday he said that the DPA is ready to form an all-Albanian block if Gruevski’s Albanian coalition partner, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, ends its support for the ruling party.

Tahir Hani, a legislator from the DUI, also referred to the unsuccessful attempt to form an all-Albanian block in 2002, a move which Thaci opposed at the time.

“In 2002 Menduh Thaci and the DPA had the opportunity to make their contribution to this idea but instead they destroyed it,” Hani told reporters.

The members of New Democracy, ND, another ethnic Albanian opposition party, found the idea worthy of consideration but felt that it came from the wrong person.

“It would be very good if that idea came from someone who is smart and serious,” ND legislator Abedin Zimberi told press. “We are not ready to team up with a man who sometimes calls for war and sometimes urges for politics, depending on his mood.”

Thaci argued that Gruevski’s centre-right government has made a practice of discriminating against ethnic Albanians, which make up a quarter of the country's population, by waging an ethno-centrist policy that pleases only FYROM's majority.

He said that the roots of FYROM's nationalism lie in the “name” row with Greece, adding that the Albanians are the ones who feel the consequences of the dispute.

The European Union and United States ambassadors to the country, Erwan Fouere and Phillip Reeker, respectively, recently slammed Thaci for his statement that FYROM could soon experience war if the oppression of the ethnic Albanian minority continued.

They called his statement “irresponsible” for a politician of his profile.

[Hellenicoz]

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV MACEDONIANS OR VARDASKIANS WHOM WANT TO BE MACEDONIAN.....START HERE

The Greek alphabet has 24 letters; each letter stands for a single sound. The letters are: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, and omega. In contrast to Alexander's language, which had an alphabet (Greek), the present "Macedonian" language did not have an alphabet until 1945. To complete the deception, Tito commissioned the linguist Blago Konev (he changed his name later to Blaze Koneski) to devise an alphabet. Koneski modified the Serbian version of the Cyrillic alphabet and called it the "Macedonian alphabet" (Templar 2002). Koneski and his glossologists also modified the old church Slavonic, used by Cyril and Methodius (now named "old Macedonian"), and fabricated thelexicon of the "Macedonian" language from a mixture of Bulgarian, Serb, Croat, Slovenian, and other Slavonic languages The Vardar Banovina or Vardar Banate or in Serbo-Croat: in Cyrillic; Vardarska banovina in Latinic) was a province (banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's Republic of Macedonia, southern parts of Central Serbia and southeastern parts of Kosovo. It was named after the Vardar River and its administrative capital was the city of Skopje. http://www.mikrosapoplous.gr/en/t2ten.html The Cyrillic alphabet pronounced (kirillitsa); also called azbuka, from the old name of the first two letters) is actually a family of alphabets, subsets of which are used by six Slavic national languages (Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian) as well as non-slavic (Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik of the former Soviet Union, and Mongolian). It is also used by many other languages of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia and other languages in the past. Not all letters in the Cyrillic alphabet are used in every language that is written with it. Thessalonica of Macedon From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Thessalonica (sister)) Jump to: navigation, search Thessalonica or Thessalonike (in Greek), a Macedonian princess, was a daughter of king Philip II of Macedon, by his Thessalian[1] wife or concubine, Nicesipolis,(also spelled Nikasipolis), of Pherae.[2] History links her to three of the most powerful men in the Ancient Macedon kingdom: daughter of King Philip II of Macedon, half sister of Alexander the Great and wife of Cassander.

[Hellenicoz]

More Support for “Northern Macedonia” Name

A name with a geographic qualifier like “Northern Macedonia”, to be used in all communication, would be a good solution to the long lasting Athens-Skopje name row, the former Greek ambassador to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, (FYROM) Alexandros Mallias, told media in Skopje.

Mallias spoke in his capacity as special advisor to the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, ELIAMEP - a think tank for research and training on matters of European and foreign policy.

“This the right moment. It is high time to live and work on a better future for the relations between the two countries, not only for mine but also for the generations of our children and their children,” he said.

Mallias noted that that this would be a viable option to replace the existing provisional reference that the country now uses in official communication in the UN, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM. He added that it would help open the country’s doors to NATO and EU membership, which are currently blocked by Greece.

Regarding the naming of the language and the nation, which is another issue of debate between the two neighbouring countries, Mallias proposed the term “Makedonski” which means Macedonian in the country’s official language.

According to Mallias, this would make clear the difference between the citizens of the Greek northern province of Macedonia and the nearby country.

Mallias made his remarks to reporters on Thursday while visiting the Greek Ambassador's residence in Skopje. He reassured media that Greek Prime Minister Geoge Papandreou and his government “really wish for a solution that leaves no losers but two winners”, suggesting that FYROM should also work towards a solution.

Athens and Skopje are locked in a nearly two-decade long row regarding the use of the name Macedonia. In 2008 Greece blocked FYROM’s entry to NATO, arguing that Skopje should first change its official name, Republic of Macedonia. Athens insists that this name implies Skopje’s territorial claims towards Athens’s own northern province called Macedonia.

In December Athens used the same reasoning to block the EU from giving Skopje a date for the start of its EU accession talks. The EU is now pressing for a speedy solution to the spat.

The main name talks are officially held under the auspices of UN. The UN recently stated that the next round of bilateral negotiations will be held soon. Local officials said that this would probably happen at the end of this or at the start of next month.

[Hellenicoz]

THE MACEDONIAN NAME AGREEMENT

New official UN & Constitutional names for all purposes:

1.Countries Name:
Republic of North Macedonia (English)
Република Северна Македонија (Macedonski)
Δημοκρατία της Βόρειας Μακεδονίας (Greek)

2.Countries Largest Ethnic Group:
Macedonski (English)
македонски (Macedonski)
Μακεδόνσκι (Greek)

3.Countries 1st Official Language:
Macedonski (English)
македонски (Macedonski)
Μακεδόνσκι (Greek)

4.Countries main Religion & Church:
Christian Macedonski Orthodox (English)
Кристијан македонски православна (Macedonski)
Χριστιανός Μακεδόνσκι Ορθόδοξος (Greek)

5.Greece recognise the Ethnic Macedonski Minority living in Greece together with the Macedonski language & Christian Macedonski Orthodox religion

6.Greece to support the Republic of North Macedonia in NATO & EU membership as long as The Macedonian Name Agreement is honoured.

7.Greece recognise the Republic of North Macedonia as a sovereign and independent country with no territorial claim.

8.The Republic of North Macedonia to recognise Greece's northern province as Macedonia & hold no territorial claim.

[Hellenicoz]

The Foreign Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Mr Milososki has opted to continue the obstruction by arguing that the proposal Republic of Northern Macedonia is a unilateral recommendation by Greece. But as we all know in FYROM and Greece this was the proposal Nimitz put on the table many years ago and looked upon positively by the then ruling SDSM party of FYROM but rejected by the Greeks. Now our FM is trying to create a phony assumptiuon that the proposal is a Greek idea. Unfortunately for our FM many of people FYROM have long memories and his Diaspora backed propaganda only ridicule the very people he is supposed to represent. The people of FYROM have a right to the name Republic of Northern Macedonia and as he is only one voice he cannot object. The Slav Macedonians will be Makedonski in the passports and EU ID cards this is what we have always wanted and this has been acceped by the Greeks. The last sticking point remains with the nationalistic government who bankrolled by the wealthy diaspora prefer not to add a geographic qualifier to the name arguing it negates the identity which as mentioned above will not be affected e.g. passports, etc. Milososki your time has come to either support the Slav Macedonian people or move on to greener conservative pastures where jingoism remains your platform.