A Brussels-based journalist from Greece’s Star Channel has revealed that, according to her sources inside the negotiations headed by U.N. Negotiator Matthew Nimitz, the name “New Macedonia” has been agreed on by both sides.
Greece and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia have been embroiled in a dispute for a quarter of a century over the name “Republic of Macedonia,” which the country chose to name itself after the break up of Yugoslavia.
The dispute created issues for the landlocked nation on Greece’s northern border, which was prohibited from various sporting and cultural competitions, as well as entry into international bodies like NATO and the European Union.
The new country got into the UN by agreeing to be called The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) for all official purposes, but this was not intended to be a permanent solution to the problem, and created a new set of difficulties.
Since the Clinton Administration, Matthew Nimitz has been the American diplomat trying to bring both sides to the bargaining table— without any success.
Talks repeatedly broke down with various governments on both sides, including tough nationalists in FYROM who erected statues of Alexander the Great and his father Prince Phillip of Macedonia, and changed the name of the capital city’s airport to Alexander the Great International Airport, angering the Greek side.
If the Greek journalist’s reports are true, which claim that both sides have agreed on the name “New Macedonia,” it would be the end of one of the world’s longest international diplomatic disputes.
Watch the complete video below from Star Channel’s news report.
https://youtu.be/wvDIj1Gstkc
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