Greece urges FYROM to adopt geographical qualifier in name
Greece has again urged the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to adopt a geographical qualifier as part of a new constitutional name currently being negotiated in the context of UN-supervised talks.
The two Balkan neighbors have been locked in a dispute about the former Yugoslav republic’s name since it became independent in 1991.
“Greece will accept a name with a clear geographical qualifier that leaves absolutely no room for secessionist policies,” Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said in Athens on Wednesday following a meeting with FYROM’s deputy prime minister for European affairs, Fatmir Besimi, adding that a settlement would open the gates for closer cooperation between states in the region.
Athens objects to the name “Macedonia,” favored by Skopje, saying it implies a territorial and cultural claim to the Greek region of the same name.
