Macedonian PM reveals name dispute strategy

Skopje. Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski disclosed a government’s strategy for the name dispute with Greece, the Macedonian newspaper Utrinski Vesnik reports. Gruevski claims that Athens cornered his country so much that Macedonia had to retaliate by changing the name of the airport in Skopje to Alexander the Great and by exhibiting an ancient heritage, which Athens accepted as a provocation. The Prime Minister thinks that Macedonia has nothing to lose in the name dispute although the US Senate approved a resolution three days ago, which uses the acronym FYROM along with the name Republic of Macedonia.
Gruevski’s statement is a confession that there’s no room for talks with Greece, an inference that has been made by all Macedonian Prime Ministers by now, the newspaper says. However, the difference is that no one has dared say that in public, as Gruevski did.
The Utrinski Vesnik stresses that Macedonia will suffer losses in the name dispute and the EU integration process. It points to a few examples – after using the constitutional name for a few years, the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana used the acronym FYROM during a meeting with Macedonian leaders; the acronym also appeared on the website of BBC. Besides, France has reconsidered its stand for the last two years, which indicates the lack of Macedonian diplomacy.