Should FYRO Macedonia be only: Republic of Macedonia?

Question

Hi,
I belive many of you have heard about the problem Republic of Macedonia has with there south neighbor Greece about the name Macedonia. The Greek goverment claims that Macedonia is there name an no other state should claim that name. They deny the excistance of Macedonian people and they claim that Macedonians were Greeks, they were always part of the Greece. The US goverment recognized the Macedonian people as Macedonians and adopted the neme Republic of Macedonia. The Eouropian Union is not doing so and they are witnesing the discrimination and humilation from there own member state but they are not doing anything to corect.

Answer 1

Kaustikos you have it all wrong!! I am sorry!!! I don't want to sound rude! But where have you ever seen where it says that Alexander The Great spoke Greek??? This answer is still undetermined!!! As for the question yes MACEDONIA should be call the Republic of MACEDONIA or just MACEDONIA!!! I will make this short! Click on my links below so you can see in more detail!! Because this Country was divided from the MACEDONIA in Greece, Bulgaria after the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913!!! Greece has made a a huge propaganda about MACEDONIA and does not even regonize the MACEDONIANS that still live in Northern Greece that speak MACEDONIAN!! http://florina.org
The MACEDONIANS in Northern Greece were stripped of their Human rights after the Balkans Wars!!! Once Greece got this territory they changed Names of Cities,Villages, lakes and rivers!! MACEDONIAN Churches were destoryed!!! People were not allow to speak the MACEDONIAN mother tongue language or they would get beaten!!! Anyways that is why Greece denies the exists of the MACEDONIAN people and the name!! Because they are scared that if Republic of MACEDONIA gets that name they can claim their territory back from Greece!!! As for Northern Greece it was renamed MACEDONIA after 1988!!! Because before that Greeks said that there is no such think as MACEDONIA and MACEDONIANS but today they claim that Yes their is a MACEDONIA but it is in Greece and MACEDONIANS are Greek!! LOL!!! If you look at what the Greeks about what they say about MACEDONIA over the years!! It is a different saying everytime!! They do not stay on the same note!! For the question 200% on Republic of MACEDONIA !!! Check out the links below!!!

Answer 2

Ok, I am Greek, but i really dont want to sound preoccupied. I just have a question. Why does a country with the name Yogoslavia, suddenly wants to change it to Macedonia.
Macedonia has been the name of the northern part of Greece for 2.500 years now. It has been mentioned by historians and archeologists for hundreds of years now. The birthplace of the well known, Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonians and the surrounding lands was Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki is in Greece. Alexander was born to one of the Greek races (Dorians if i recall it correctly). He studied in the Athenian Schools, he spoke Greek and he has a Greek name. Despite the fact the the Greek city states were constantly at war back then, they shared the same gods, the same philosphy, the same language, the same customs, the same architecture. Macedonians participated in the ancient Olympic games, an event where ONLY greeks where allowed to participate. All the ancient macedonian ruins are in greek lands... All the ancient macedonian cities names similar to those of the other greek cities... Macedonians are regarded as greeks by all ancient greek and roman historians (and there was no dispute back then for thme to fabricate facts).... Many, many things to say about it... But dont want to go into a lengthy presentation...
Yugoslavia was a part of the Empire of Alexander the Great. That fact alone does not make it possible for Yugoslavia to claim the name Macedonia, does it? It is like saying Britain could claim the name Rome as it once was a part of the Roman Empire...
So why would these people decide to change their country's name all of a sudden?
I dont really care how they will be called. I am simply wondering why they should do that? Why change your country's name?
How would you react if the British gevernment decided to change the name of London into Rome? They were once part of the Roman Empire? Can they do it? If no then probably Yugoslavia cannot do it as well.

Yes I agree with rhsaunder, its ridiculous to call a country the former yugoslavic republic or macedonia...
But it is also ridiculous to change your country's name.... And take the name of anothers country's territory. Suddenly, out of the blue...

Answer 3

You cannot change history like that. USA recognized fyrom as macedonia for their interests and because they don't care about history. And one more thing: Do you really believe that they are macedonians? (based on history)

Answer 4

I think that the Greeks need to lighten up. To call a country the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is ridiculous.

Answer 5

(Correct answer by kaustikos!)
Let me give also some information about the problem as the asker actually doesn't ask a question but he is presenting some false information.
The authentic(Greek) Macedonia is in Greece. The entire north Greece is the province of authentic Macedonia. From there Alexander the Great started his epic campaign and he managed to spread the Greek language and culture throughout the known word.
Since then- the ancient Greek kingdom (of Macedonia)- the Greek word “Μακεδονία” (Macedonia) was used to describe a geographical region of Greece (later it applied in a larger are in the Balkans but always slightly different than the Greek original) and the term “Μακεδόνες” (Macedonians) was always used to describe a Greek tribe.
In 1991 a small Slavic/Albanian state emerged in the Balkans after the collapse of Yugoslavia. That small 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 in Greece!
The new republic of (Slavic/Albanian)Macedonia is actually called “Makedonija”. This is their authentic Slavic name that they are using for themselves and only internationally they use the Greek name “Macedonia” {to be more precise they use the English translation of the Greek name “Μακεδονία” (Macedonia)}.
The problem wasn’t of course that a Slavic/Albanian nation was using a Greek name (that argument has nothing to do with the true!!) but instead the Slav-Macedonians (and not the Albanian-Macedonians) were presenting the history of authentic(Greek) Macedonia as theirs and there were even few who actually claim rights against authentic(Greece) Macedonia of Greece.
Greece reacted immediately and United Nations and European Union has forced the state of Slavic/Albanian-Macedonia (Makedonija) to negotiate with Greece in order to reach to an acceptable name for INTERNATIONAL USE {For those who don’t know “Republika Makedonja” is officially translated by United Nations (and officially recognized by United Nations and European Union) as Former Ygoslavic Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). NOBODY HAS ASKED THEM TO CHANGE THEIR NAME. Their name remains (Makedonija!). Some countries like USA in their “two parts” relations they use the name “Macedonia” (never internationally!!) but they will recognize any mutually agreed name by UN resolution}.
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 Slavic/Albanian Macedonia (Makedonija). It can use its own name (Makedonija) but for international use it has to follow the UN resolutions!
Still there are talks between the two states under the United Nations authority and there are efforts to reach a commonly agreed resolution.
There were some official statements from the Government of Slavic/Albanian Macedonia
“the first President of the republic of (Slavic/Albanian)- Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov said: “We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century ... we are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians" (Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992, p. 35). On 22 January 1999, Ambassador of the (Slavic/Albanian)- Macedonia to USA, Ljubica Achevska gave a speech on the present situation in the Balkans. In answering questions at the end of her speech Mrs. Acevshka said: "We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great … In reply to another question about the ethnic origin of the people of (Slavic/Albanian)- Macedonia, Ambassador Achevska stated that "we are Slavs and we speak a Slav language”.
On 24 February 1999, in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, Gyordan Veselinov, (Slavic/Albanian)- Macedonia's Ambassador to Canada, admitted, "We are not related to the northern Greeks who produced leaders like Philip and Alexander the Great. We are a Slav people and our language is closely related to Bulgarian." He also commented, “There is some confusion about the identity of the people of my country".
Also, Mr Gligorov declared: "We are Macedonians but we are Slav Macedonians. That's who we are! We have no connection to Alexander the Greek and his Macedonia… Our ancestors came here in the 5th and 6th century" (Toronto Star newspaper, March 15, 1992).
The above statements should be enough to show that Slavic/Albanian-Macedonia is willingly negotiating with Greece for an acceptable solution.
Again I repeat that nobody has requested them to change their constitutional name (Makedonija). Also Greece fully recognizes the authentic(Greek) Macedonians since they are pure Greeks.
Greece has no intention to interfere with what the Slav-Macedonians or the Albanian-Macedonians think for themselves. Greece only protects its land and the history of authentic(Greek)-Macedonia.
And I close with a small quote from the words of the ancient (Greek) Macedonians:
(... Had I not greatly at heart the common welfare of Greece I should not have come to tell you; but I am myself Greek by descent, and I would not willingly see Greece exchange freedom for slavery.... If you prosper in this war, forget not to do something for my freedom; consider the risk I have run, out of zeal for the Greek cause, to acquaint you with what Mardonius intends, and to save you from being surprised by the barbarians. I am Alexander of Macedon."
(Herodotus, The Histories, 9.45)
"But Alexander (the great) said, `If I were not Alexandros, I should be Diogenes'; that is to say: `If it were not my purpose to combine barbarian things with things Greek, to traverse and civilize every continent, to search out the uttermost parts of land and sea, to push the bounds of Macedonia to the farthest Ocean, and to disseminate and shower the blessings of the Greek justice and peace over every nation, I should not be content to sit quietly in the luxury of idle power, but I should emulate the frugality of Diogenes. But as things are, forgive me Diogenes, that I imitate Herakles, and emulate Perseus, and follow in the footsteps of Dionysos, the divine author and PROGENITOR of my family, and desire that victorius Greeks should dance again in India and revive the memory of the Bacchic revels among the savage mountain tribes beyond the Kaukasos...' "
(Plutarchos, On the Fortune of Alexander, 332 a-b)
(Although I think that my answer wont even be read by some!)