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FYROM is already recognized by 135 countries as plain Macedonia. The Greeks object, vehemently.
As far as the greeks are concerned Macedonia is a Greek provence, a part of Greek history, the birth place of Alexander the Great, founder of the great Macedonian empire which stretched as far as India.
Skopje (the name used by Greece) was one of six balkan states which declared independence after the break-up of Yugoslavia. The others being Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia and Montenegro.
Alexander the Great, born in the greek city of Pella and tutored by ancient greek philosopher Aristotle.
Half a million greeks stood for 3 hours under the statue of Alexander the Great waving Greek flags and cheering the fervent, impassioned speakers (as only Greeks can be) who came from as far away as Crete, way down in the Libyan sea and included the Orthodox Archbishop of Northern Greece and all his entourage.
Is Macedonia Greek and only Greek? Are our neighbours Slavs or Macedonians?
Greece and Skopje have been bickering over the name for the past 25 years.
The borders of those countries in the north have been contested many times, territories divided. Who has the most right to be called Macedonian?
The ancient kingdom of Macedonia and Alexander the Great extended over parts Greece, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.The UN mediator has suggested, amongst other names New Macedonia, Macedonia of the North, Upper Macedonia. The Greek people were rallying against any use of Macedonia in the country's name. Macedonia is a huge part of Hellenistic (Greek) history.
FYROM (so called Macedonia) must make a decision about its name very soon, a name that Greeks can live with, because they want to join Europe and NATO and at the moment Greece is veto-ing their entry into both.
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the cynic in me says the EU will take them anyway as they will want their money.
ReplyDeleteSkopje needs the EU money. They have high unemployment and a low growth rate.
DeleteIt all sounds very complicated, do you think they will get their way?
ReplyDeleteIt is complicated. I doubt the rest of the world gives a damn or even knows where the country is......which is why I included a map lol
DeleteI think our govt is under a lot of pressure and will probably agree to New Macedonia
Yep had no idea where macedonia was or is. Thought Greece had enough battles with Turkey , cyprus .
ReplyDeleteWe are part of the Balkans and the whole area is boiling! Albamia wants part of Greece and Macedonia. Macedonia wants part of Greece and Bulgaria. Turkey wants the whole lot. Kosova, Serbia and Bosnia have only just stopped fighting. Probably skirmishes going on right now!
DeleteRefugees are stranded in camps up there. You never hear about them any more. ETc.
Love Cyprus but the dead city is scary!. Whole city just closed in 1970 , wny did Greece let turkish take over
ReplyDeleteAnother complicated conflict! The Greeks blame the English who had trrops on the island. The British blame Greece. Cypriots blame everyone, especially Turkey.
DeleteTurkey is never going to pull out and gradually the border has opened.
A very uneasy situation
It’s just as divisive here
ReplyDeleteI’m kinda over it all. With everything else in the world this really is a non issue
People are hungry cold and desperate. Greece and the other countries involved need to hurry up sort shit out and get their people employed and paid well so that they can all start to have better lives no matter what they call themselves
What struck me was that hundreds of thousands turned out for a darn name, including the church, but no one gathered, especially the church, to protest against the living conditions of thousands of refugees suffering in tents in the snow!
DeleteExactly. It’s a common problem the world over
DeleteCommon decency seems to have left the building