Eurasia Press & News
On his first day after swearing the oath of office, Macedonia’s new President Georgi Ivanov wrote a letter to his US counterpart reaffirming his commitment to finding a solution to the long standing name row with neighboring Greece.
“Let me point out our determination to keep up the dialogue with our Greek friends and neighbors, aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution on the name row,” Ivanov in the letter sent to Barack Obama.
He also noted that the solution must “respect our [Macedonian’s] national identity, language and culture”.
Greece boycotted Macedonia’s entry into NATO last year pending a solution to the name issue.
“We will continue with our efforts to secure membership in NATO and the European Union” Ivanov said in his first letter in a capacity of Head of State. He thanked Obama for the US’s words of encouragement at the last NATO summit in April and for the US president’s letter of congratulations upon his election as president.
The US has proven to be one of the key facilitators to the ongoing negotiations to find a solution between Macedonia and Greece.
The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Stuart Jones Tuesday was the last to give a statement on the row. He told media in Brussels that Athens-Skopje UN sponsored talks should focus solely on the name issue and not bother with side issues such as the identity or the history which is not part of the official talks.
He said that there is a chance for progress towards a solution following the elections in Greece slated for June.
