United Nations-sponsored talks between Greece and Macedonia would focus solely on the name dispute between the two countries and no other issues, Greek daily Kathimerini quoted foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis as saying.
UN mediator Matthew Nimetz invited representatives of the two sides to negotiations in New York on August 14 and 15.
The invite came after Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski raised the subject of a Macedonian minority in Greece. "The negotiations have only one subject: the name and the wider application of the name," Kathimerini quoted Bakoyannis as saying. "Greece will go into these negotiations with the same, known, position," she said.
Bulgarian National Radio quoted unnamed diplomats in Athens as saying that it would be almost impossible to find common grounds if Macedonia would bring up the subject of a Macedonian minority in Greece during the negotiations.
While in Skopje with every passing day the conflict between Gruevski and president Branko Crvenkovski over the pardoning of opposition leader Zoran Zaev grows, the timing for the meeting was said to reflect the American determination to settle the dispute before the end of the year, BNR quoted observers in Athens as saying.
Comments by Peter - 01:53 07 Aug 2008 |
 | Greece must accept the responsibility of the Macedonian minority in Greece.This issue must be solved first before Greece brings the Macedonian ethnicity in the Republic of Macedonia.If Dora wants to change someones name, maybe she should bring this question to her parliament and change Greece to FORMER OTTOMAN REPUBLIC-Greece.The Macedonian in the Republic of Macedonia and those living under the Greek boot have shead a lot of blood to come thus far.Dora,is there anything you dont understand? MACEDONIA FOR THE MACEDONIANS.This is our name,paid with blood.Furthermore,Macedonia must stop negotiating our name,period. |  |
Comments by Igor - 13:37 07 Aug 2008 |
| I think Skopje needs to deal with its racism first, especially against the Bulgarian Macedonians who suffer every day all because the Skopjians want to monopolize the Macedonian identity. You all think that Skopje is innocent but you dont get stones thrown at you nor spit on for speaking Bulgarian in Skopje. At least in Greece they don't care what language we speak! Stop the ethnic genocide of Bulgarian Macedonians by Skopje! | |
Comments by Alex - 13:48 07 Aug 2008 |
| Ya so Fyrom wants Greece to recognize a Macedonian minority but yet FYROM will not recognize the existence Greek Macedonians nor Bulgarian Macedonians? FYROM are racists! | |
Comments by Peter - 00:21 08 Aug 2008 |
| Republic of Macedonia recognizes the Macedonian minority in Greece and in Bulgaria.Any Bulgarian or Greek living in Macedonia have equal rights as Macedonians and Albanians.Greece and Bulgaria have been taken to Stratsburg courts and not the other way round for breaking Human Rights violations.Greece calls Northern Greece since 1913.In 1989,Greece changed it to Western andEastern Macedonia as provinces.Should the USA change a town called Athens? Should former USSR Republic of Georgia demand the USA change State name of Georgia?Should Republic of Macedonia demand from the USA to change the name in Ohio called Macedonia? Greece does not know what it wants,period.Greece,has 51% of our land,they should give these Macedonian their full rights as any where else.This will not only improve the relations between Macedonia,but it will make the Macedonian minority at ease and defend Greece as they did durring the Italian war where the current Macedonian Prime Ministers grandfather fought and was killed deffending Greece.Mr.Karamanlis and Dora Bekoyanis,dont you think,if people are free they will deffend their land [Country] like the grandfather of Gruevski and that goes for the rest of the Macedonian minority in Greece?Does the name Macedonia bothers you so much,dont bother you that thousands of Macedonians wewe killed durring the Nazi occupation of Greece?Let me tell you one thing,the majority of fighters durring that war were Macedonian,not Greek.Every Macedonian family was touched by that war.Republic of Macedonia is no threat to Greece,Greece is a threat to the Macedonians by not recognizing you have Macedonian minority and that there is a Republic called Macedonia,the people are called Macedonians. | |
Comments by Igor - 02:29 08 Aug 2008 |
| You're wrong...you have no idea what it feels to get harassed in Skopje because I claim to be Bulgarian Macedonian, to be spit on, to get rocks thrown at, to hear that your friends daughter got raped because she spoke Bulgarian and called herself and ethnic Bulgarian Macedonian. Skopje DOES NOT recognize the existence of other Macedonians such as BULGARIANS, they believe that the only Macedonians are Slavs...the Skopjians. In an attempt to monopolize the Macedonian identity Skopje is committing ethnic genocide of Bulgarian Macedonians through all this daily harassment. The Albanians are better rulers than you's are. Skopje = biggest RACIST in the EUROPE | |
Comments by Brad - 02:54 08 Aug 2008 |
| Hey Peter, Greece does not have any problems with the US having a city named after Athens b/c the US doesn't have territorial maps that include the capital of Greece as american territory. Go to any facebook fyrom group, website, school books in Fryom and you'll see Greek Macedonia included in FYROM's territory including Thessaloniki. The Bulgarians have their own area called Macedonia but Greece doesnt care b/c they dont aggressively call Greek Macedonia has "occupied territory" that doesnt belong to Greece like FYROM does. There are even many pictures on the internet (just go to any FYROM Facebook group) and you'll see the White Tower of Thessaloniki with a FYROM flag on it. This is hatred and aggressive behaviour so don't play the innocent land locked country that's fighting for it's minority in other countries. And by the way, it's THESSALONIKI,NOT SOLUN. | |
