What do you think of this proposal?

sure beats just plain ....Macedonia and certainly better than FYROM..
as long as there are some guarantees that sometime in the future someone doesnt say well if there's a Northern macedonia surely it must be united with southern macedonia.

How 'bout Madeconia?

LOL.Good one kata.

Isn't this what Greece is trying to prevent in the first place?

When I heard this name I thought about the same thing. Will one side later on claim territory of the other side?

You immediately think this when you hear the name.

PM Nikola Gruevski


Govt Cold on 'Republic of Northern Macedonia'

Skopje | 16 April 2009 |

Greek hints that it approves of the UN’s latest proposal “Republic of Northern Macedonia” as a compromise name for Macedonia has been met with a cold reception by the leadership in Skopje.

Speaking at a Washington-held conference dedicated to United States policy towards the Balkans, the Greek Ambassador to the US, Alexandros Mallias regarded this name as “finally a good proposal” which has been put on the table.

“I am not surprised from this statement because Greece has preferred that designation since the 1990s. There are other things that need to be worked on, like the constitution, the passports and the identity. The talks are a lot more complex than the statement that has been given,” Macedonia’s Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on Wednesday told media.

Georgi Ivanov, the recently elected head of state who was endorsed by Gruevski’s ruling VMRO DPMNE party made a similar statement and replied the party’s long-standing stance that any possible solution agreed between the two countries must go to a referendum in Macedonia.

“This proposal [Northern Republic of Macedonia] has been present for fifteen years and it represents a geographical designation [for Macedonia] that Greece wants,” Ivanov stated.

The UN envoy mediating the Athens-Skopje talks, Matthew Nimetz proposed some variations of this name at the end of last year after which the talks came to a practical halt due to upcoming elections in both countries.

Greece has objected to Macedonia’s formal name since the country became independent from the former Yugoslavia at the beginning of the 1990s.

Last April Athens blocked Skopje’s entry into NATO arguing that this name implies Skopje’s territorial claims on the Greek region of Macedonia.

Since then, relations between the two countries have deteriorated leaving Macedonia outside both NATO and the EU as Greece threatens to block any progress towards membership.

But Skopje fears that by loosing its name, the Macedonian majority living in the country might lose its identity. Athens on the other hand insists that the only real Macedonians are the ones living in Northern Greece.

Media mentioned that the last Nimetz package also included suggestions for changing Macedonian passports and constitution where references to the terms Macedonian language or people would be removed.

Observers expect new more substantial moves in the UN talks after Greece elects its EU lawmakers in June.

(Reporting by Sinisa-Jakov Marusic)

Link

Evro the banter just goes on and on and on

FYROM's foreign minister, Antonio Milošoski, rejects latest name proposal (16-04-2009)

Well, that didn`t take long time.

Certainly didnt take long..
I'd love to be a fly on the wall during these negotiations..what the hell do these guys discuss...whats it been 17 years?

why dont greece and fyrom start negotiations for a merger then they could call themselves the "Greek republic of Macedonia"...LOL..

Scheffer Pessimistic on Macedonia Dispute

Skopje | 15 May 2009 |

The outgoing NATO chief Jaap De Hoop Scheffer is not optimistic about a quick settlement to the name row between Skopje and Athens.

"I must add, openly and frankly, that after a visit I paid to Skopje last week, my optimism has not grown, in listening to the authorities in Skopje. And I do hope that also they will realise that, for a solution for the name issue, they have to show flexibility," he said Thursday at a press conference in Athens, as reported by Makfax.

Last year Athens vetoed Skopje's certain invitation to join NATO, saying that a solution to Macedonia's name must first be found.

UN sponsored talks have so far been in vain, and the talks are currently on hold due to elections in Macedonia in March and elections in Greece announced for June.

After meeting Scheffer, the Greek Foreign Minister said Greece would be happy to see its northern neighbor in NATO but only after the name issue is solved.

(Reporting by Sinisa-Jakov Marusic)

Link

what is it now? nearly 19 years ot negotiations.
I reckon these negotiators just go along to these meetings for a booze up

Macedonian PM Vows Name Referendum

Skopje | 01 June 2009 |

Any compromise between Skopje and Athens on the “name” issue will have to be approved by the people of Macedonia via a referendum, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski reiterated on Sunday.

Gruevski, who is also head of the largest ruling party, the centre-right VMRO DPMNE, made his statement during a ceremony marking the 18th anniversary of the party’s youth union, the local MIA news agency reports.

"Macedonia is doing everything in its power in this regard, in order to find a solution that will not harm the state and national interests," said Gruevski.

A swift solution on Macedonia’s formal name would pave the way for the country’s speedy accession to NATO and remains the only issue blocking its membership in the alliance.

Last year, Athens blocked Skopje from joining NATO, arguing that the name Macedonia, the same name of Greece's northern province, implies that Skopje has territorial claims on the Greek region.

The intense UN-brokered solution seeking talks have been in vain. The last offer that the UN mediator in the row, Matthew Nimetz, put on the table was a set of proposed names containing the geographical prefix “Northern Macedonia” to distinguish the country from the Greek province.

The talks are expected to be restarted soon after Greece wraps up its European Parliament elections this month.

Some observers see Gruevski’s insistence on a referendum regarding this issue as a practical blockade of the resolution process, as opinion polls show that the majority of the population would not trade their name for speedy NATO accession.

The opposition parties accuse the prime minister of shirking responsibility and avoiding making a tough decision that could cost him future votes.

(Reporting by Sinisa-Jakov Marusic)

Link

Jacques Barrot renames Macedonia into Northern Macedonia

Skopje/Luxembourg / 4/06/09 / 20:33

The Vice-President of the European Commission Jacques Barrot called Macedonia today "Northern Macedonia."

After briefing the 27 EU foreign ministers at a regular session in Luxembourg on the progress of the countries from the Western Balkan's region in meeting of the conditions relating visa liberalization, Barrot singled out Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro as the countries which can expect lifting of the visa regime, Alsat-M TV Station said.

"What I can say is that today we are under impression that FYROM, i.e. Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro made a really great effort. It's still uncertain, but there is a possibility for us to suggest that these three countries achieve the liberalization by the end of this year, however this is simply a suggestion and I can not be absolutely sure in this stage. But, if the member-countries do agree on this, it can happen," Barrot said.

Link

LOL Evro after that comment by Barrot i thought I heard a collective detonation coming from FYROM