Nimetz: Term ‘Macedonia’ to be included in name proposal

Ahead of Wednesday's meeting between delegates from Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in New York, United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz said on Tuesday that his proposal to resolve the decades-old name dispute will include the term “Macedonia.” 

In an interview with ANT1 TV, Nimetz said the term “Macedonia” will be included in the name as more than 100 countries have already recognized it as such.

“If we wait for another 25 years the problem will only get worse,” he said, and reiterated that there is no “magical solution.” 

Meanwhile, the leader of the junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), Panos Kammenos, sought again on Tuesday to chart a different course by presenting his own proposal to resolve the decades-old name dispute. 

The defense minister, who has repeatedly stated that his party would never accept the use of the term “Macedonia” in a name for FYROM by Skopje, tweeted a map from 1937 which depicts the then Kingdom of Yugoslavia divided into nine geographical regions, with the area roughly covering the modern state of FYROM called Vardaska. 

Nimetz is to meet in New York Wednesday with Greek negotiator Adamantios Vasilakis and his opposite number Vasko Naumovski. 

In a related development, former conservative premier Costas Karamanlis met on Tuesday with representatives of groups from around the world comprising Greeks hailing from the region of Macedonia. 

According to a report on the Real News website, Karamanlis, whose family is from northern Greece, stated that there is “no Macedonian nation and this must be made clear and officially accepted.”