What's the problem with Macedonia? Why don't Greece or Bulgaria recognize this country?

Answer 1

Not quite true! Not only Greece but also United Nations and European Union don't recognize a country with the name "Republic of Macedonia".
Let me explain as the matter is complicated.
Macedonia or Macedon is a Greek region (in proper Greek “Mακεδονία”). It is actually one of the biggest regions of Greece and it has played a most significant part in Greek history!
(The authentic Macedonia in Greece (or Greek Macedonia) was the birth place of Alexander the Great! Alexander created a gigantic Greek empire and he is responsible for the spreading of Greek culture and language around the world!)
Suddenly a few years ago a small state emerged from Yugoslavia. That small state is called Republic of Makedonija (Slavic/Albanian republic of Macedonia). That state decided to use as an international name the Greek name “Macedonia” and of course that caused and still is causing confusion with authentic Macedonia of Greece!
United Nations and European Union has forced the state of Makedonijia to negotiate with Greece in order to reach to an acceptable name for international use { For those who don’t know Republika Makedonja (or Slavic/Albania Macedonia) is officially translated by UN (and officially recognized by UN and European Union) as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).}
Also a lot of people don’t know that the international name of a state is decided by international law, international agreements and treaties under the authority of United Nations! You can not choose what ever name you like for international use! An example is what happened to Austria! After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and from 1918 it was known as the Republic of German-Austria (Republik Deutsch-Österreich), but the state was forced to change its name to "Republic of Austria" in 1919 peace Treaty of Saint-Germain! After the war every state that wishes to enter the United Nation had to make sure that its international name wasn’t violating the interest of any other country and was not against international law!
This is the case for Makedonija (Slavic/Albanian - Macedonia). It can use its own name (Makedonija) but for international use it has to follow the UN resolutions!
I have to say that the state of Slav/Albania-Macedonia is committed to the United Nations resolution and it is negotiating with Greece to reach to an agreement for a name for international use (and not for their constitutional name which remains as it is : “Makedonija”).
Let me give you some more background about the history of the small state of Slavic/Albanian Macedonia.
It was created after the Second World War by TITO (during the communist dictatorship of Yugoslavia) and it was renamed from South Serbia or Vardar Banovina to Socialist republic of Macedonia.
The small Yugoslavian state had a mixed population of Slavs (mainly of Bulgarian origin), Albanians, even some Greeks and few other minority nations.
Tito tried by inventing the non Greek Macedonian ethnicity to achieve 2 purposes.
First he wanted to take away from Bulgarian influence the population of Slavic/Albanian Macedonia and second to start claiming Greek Macedonia from the Greeks.
There was of course an entire propaganda effort that tried to convince the population that they are actually true Macedonians and not Bulgarians.
The Bulgarian dialect of Macedonia was called “Macedonian language” and they claim that it had nothing in common with the Bulgarian language.
The ancient (Greek) Macedonians were presented as non Greeks and simply because the Slavic population used the term “Macedonian” they assumed that they were linked.
(Of course not even one respectful historian ever agreed to such unhistorical claims and no one ever question the Hellenic character of the ancient Greek Macedonians.)
Of course FYROM is a product of propaganda and the non Greek Macedonian ethnicity achieved after great oppression.
Prison camps were formed by the communist dictatorship of Tito and everyone who disagreed with the propaganda was imprisoned.
New books were written and in schools Tito promoted the concept of a separate Macedonian nation, as a means of severing the ties of the Slav population of Yugoslav Macedonia with Bulgaria. Although the Macedonian language is a Bulgarian dialect, the differences were deliberately emphasized and the region's historical figures (Serbian, Bulgarian, and Greek heroes) were promoted as being uniquely “Macedonian. A separate Macedonian Orthodox Church was established, splitting off from the Serbian Orthodox Church, but it has not been recognized by any other Orthodox Church, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Communist Party sought to deter pro-Bulgarian sentiment, which was punished severely; convictions were still being handed down as late as 1991.
The pro-Bulgarian organization "Radko" for example (which was later banned by the Macedonian Constitutional Court) had been publicly harassed after they demonstrated in front of the Macedonian parliament and claimed that there is no Macedonian nation today, and the perpetrators were acclaimed as heroes by the media.
In 2001 'Radko' issued in Skopje the original version of the folk song collection 'Bulgarian Folk Songs' by the Miladinov Brothers (issued under an edited name in the Republic of Macedonia and viewed as a collection of Slav Macedonian lyrics). The book triggered a wave of other publications, among which the memoirs of the Greek bishop of Kastoria, in which he talked about the Greek-Bulgarian church struggle at the beginning of the 20th century, as well the Report of the Carnegie Commission on the causes and conduct of the Balkan Wars from 1913. Neither of these addressed the ethnic Macedonian population of Macedonia as Macedonians but as Bulgarians. Being the first publications to question the official Macedonian position of the existence of a distinct Macedonian identity going back to the time of Alexander the Great (Macedonism), the books triggered a reaction of shock and disbelief in Macedonian public opinion. The scandal after the publication of 'Bulgarian Folk Songs' resulted in the sacking of the Macedonian Minister of Culture, Dimitar Dimitrov.
As of 2000, Bulgaria started to grant Bulgarian citizenship to members of the Bulgarian minorities in a number of countries, including the Republic of Macedonia. The vast majority of the applications have been from Macedonian citizens. As at May, 2004, some 14,000 Macedonians had applied for a Bulgarian citizenship on the grounds of Bulgarian origin and 4,000 of them had already received their Bulgarian passports. In June, 2004, the Macedonian state television announced with alarm that at least one member of every fourth household in the eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia had already received a Bulgarian passport or had at least applied for one. The last quoted number so far was of 63,000 Macedonians (the number has not been confirmed officially) by the Macedonian daily Vecher on April 5, 2005.In 2006 the former Macedonian Premier and chief of IMRO-DPMNE Ljubco Georgievski became a Bulgarian citizen. Bulgaria is actually recognizing the country with their name Makedonija (and not Macedonia) but they considere the Slav-Macedonians as Bulgarian origin population!
Hope I’ve helped you.

Answer 2

Macedonia is also the name of a province in Greece. They've been fighting about the name since the dissolution of Yugoslavia 15 years ago. That's why many countries recognized Macedonia as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Answer 3

Greeks dont have a problem with anyone using our name... ... Greeks have a problem with ppl trying to pass themselves off as us..... Im sure you wouldnt mind if Greece called one of its towns America... but how would you feel if they said that the US didnt exsit and taht Apple pie and the declaration of indipendance was Greek??? I bet you would be just as pissed as teh greeks are with those Communist Slavic "so called" Macedonians!!

Answer 4

Because both wants a piece of it.

Answer 5

You would have to ask them.