MACEDONIA Greek Province & the Macedonian Kingdom
Most distressing for Greeks is that the leaders of FYROM insist that their country use the designation “Macedonia” in their country’s name without any qualification – in dramatic contrast to international practice and common sense.
When parts of a historical region fall into two countries, the newer area uses an adjective to distinguish itself from the older one – New Mexico and Mexico are one such example. But the leaders of Skopje have so far rejected all possible designations to do that proposed by current UN mediator, Matthew Nimetz.
Greece does not dispute that a part of historic Macedonia lies within FYROM and we are prepared to accept a compound name. But FYROM insists on being sole claimant to the name of a whole area, the largest part of which lies outside its borders.
Excerpt from International Herald Tribune, The View From Athens, by Dora Bakoyannis Foreign Minister of Greece