Athens slams Skopje ‘irredentism’ after Toronto event

Athens on Wednesday accused the government in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) of violating the 1995 interim agreement between the two countries after the Balkan state’s consul general spoke against the backdrop of irredentist symbols and maps during an official event in Toronto.

“We condemn the participation of FYROM’s Consul General in Toronto, Jovica Palacevski, in an irredentist event, a participation that constitutes yet another violation by FYROM of the interim accord, which requires abstention from any action supporting territorial claims,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday

The backdrop of the podium from which Palacevski spoke was said to depict irredentist symbols and a map of FYROM that included Greek territory.

Greece has blocked FYROM’s NATO integration and its opening of EU accession talks for over a decade on grounds that the name “Republic of Macedonia” implies a territorial claim to the Greece’s own Macedonia region and is a blatant attempt to lay claim to the country’s national heritage.

“FYROM's new government claims that it aspires to a new beginning in its relations with Greece. However, despite the change of leadership, it seems that irredentism continues to be the dominant state ideology and day-to-day political practice in our neighboring country,” it said.

“The renouncement of irredentism, respect for borders, and practical compliance with the principles of good neighborliness are necessary conditions for the realization of FYROM’s Euroatlantic aspirations,” it said.