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Turkey recognizes ‘Macedonia’ by its constitutional name, FM says

Turkey recognizes ‘Macedonia’ by its constitutional name, FM says

Turkey is looking forward to welcoming the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia into the NATO family, “without further delay,” following the ratification of the name deal with Greece, and recognizes the Balkan nation by its constitutional name, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

“We have strong ties with Macedonia that go back many centuries, ties that are strong regardless of political relations. I would like to stress that our political relations are excellent these days,” Cavusoglu was quoted by Greek media as saying in translated comments at a joint press conference in Ankara following a meeting with his FYROM counterpart, Nikola Dimitrov.

“Turkey recognizes Macedonia by its constitutional name,” the Turkish foreign minister added, without clarifying further.

Cavusoglu said that stability in FYROM is crucial to stability in the Balkans, where Turkey enjoys “very good relations” with Albania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.

“Turkey attaches a lot of importance to stability in the region and provides support for its economic growth,” he said.

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