Beware hasty decisions

Talks between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) aimed at resolving the two countries’ differences are not – and should not be – limited to resolving the longstanding name dispute that has blighted the Balkan neighbors’ relations since the 1990s.

People with deep knowledge of the negotiations that have taken place during the last few decades are fully aware that a number of other matters will have to be addressed and settled at the same time as the name issue.

It would be a grave mistake on Greece’s part to leave certain issues unresolved because officials are in a hurry to reach an agreement over the name that FYROM will use in the future.

An omission of this nature is bound to poison bilateral relations further down the line – when what should be at stake here is normalizing ties between Athens and Skopje once and for all.