The saga over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) continues as Athens urged Skopje on Monday to focus on the five alternatives tabled earlier in the year by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz.
Following Greece’s rejection of the ‘Republic of Ilinden Macedonia‘ over the weekend, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said the best solution would be to choose a name from among those proposed by the UN diplomat.
“Several proposals have been submitted, but the Greek side insists that the best solution is a name from among those proposed by Matthew Nimetz. Of course, we are discussing the proposals of our neighbors, but negotiations are held in a specific context and it is good to stick to it,” he said.
Nimetz, a veteran American diplomat, tabled earlier in the year five proposals for an agreement on the name. These were:
Republika Nova Makedonija (Republic of New Macedonia),
Republika Severna Makedonija (Republic of Northern Macedonia),
Republika Gorna Makedonija (Republic of Upper Macedonia),
Republika Vardarska Makedonija (Republic of Macedonia of Vardar) and
Republika Makedonija (Skopje) [Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)]
Speaking to Real FM, Tzanakopoulos expressed the government’s satisfaction at the acceptance by FYROM’s leadership — for the first time — of an ‘erga omnes’ name, one to be used at home and abroad by Skopje.
“We welcome the fact that erga omnes is accepted by our neighbors; we continue to negotiate responsibly,” he underlined.
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