Dividing name issue

Is friendship between our two countries really difficult? It’s a ridiculous notion. In Skopje right now all the big banks are Greek; gas, supermarkets, mobile phones – all Greek. Yet I’m here in Athens not with a visa stamp on my passport, but with a special piece of paper… We live next to each another. I always considered Greece as our entry to Europe. On all levels Greece is closer to us than the rest. Both sides, therefore, must find the energy to go beyond the blockades which we, ourselves, created in the past. What is your opinion on the name issue? I will not answer as a politician. I’m 55 years old. I knew I was Macedonian the day I was born. The same goes for my parents. «Macedonia» is a geographical term, it exists in Greece, it exists in Bulgaria too. I don’t believe that there’s any kind of willingness to change our name in my country – to be suddenly called something else. At the same time, I believe that we wish Greece will find a name for us. Some kind of flexibility is required.