FYROM President Gjorge Ivanov expressed his gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Turkey’s support regarding the name dispute with Greece during his official visit to Ankara. In the joint press conference that followed their meeting, Erdogan stressed that with mutual will both sides could resolve the name dispute issue.
Erdogan supported Macedonia’s stance in its row with Greece about the country’s name.
“We have made our stance clear by being the first country to recognize Macedonia with its constitutional name and national identity and by appointing an ambassador,” the Turkish president said.
Macedonia was founded in 1991 and was admitted to the United Nations in 1993, but it had been accepted under the provisional name of the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (FYROM), due to Greece’s objection to the name Macedonia.
Some 118 countries, including Turkey, currently recognize Macedonia under its constitutional name.
Greece does not accept Macedonia’s name because it has a region by the same name in its north. Greece also argues that the former Yugoslav Republic has claims on its territory and its historical heritage.
Since 2017, negotiations have stepped up, as the new government in Skopje wants a deal over its name with Athens, which can veto its NATO and EU membership.
On his part, Ivanov thanked his Turkish counterpart for Turkey’s stance regarding the name dispute, expressing the view that it was unacceptable for a country to dispute the sovereign right to self-determination of another nation in the 21st century, a right “guaranteed by the UN Charter of Nations”.
“The name dispute must be resolved within the framework of the UN and within the framework which is defined by the UN Charter, the UN Security Council’s decisions, the Interim Agreement and the International Court of Justice’s ruling of 2011. Addressing issues such as identity, language and the Constitution of the “Republic of Macedonia” does not contribute, but rather complicates the process of finding a solution, Ivanov said adding “I am delighted that President Erdogan during my visit has expressed his full understanding of our views on this issue”.
sources: hurriyet.com.tr, novinite.com
PS Erdogan may support FYROM hoping that Skopje may one day recognize the Turkish occupied territories of Cyprus. He can wait till the end of his days….
