Bulgaria urges FYROM to compromise on name dispute

TIRANA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) — Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev on Monday urged FYROM to make a compromise to settle a long-running name dispute with Greece.

    “It is necessary to reach a compromise on the name issue, especially when Greece is already a member of the EU and NATO,”  Stanishev said in his meeting with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski.

    Stanishev, who is on a two-day visit to Macedonia, also said his country would strongly support FYROM’s efforts to join the two clubs.

 FYROM’s NATO bid was thwarted by Greece at the alliance’s April summit in Bucharest over the 17-year-long name dispute between the two neighbors.

    Athens has been opposed to its neighbor being called the “Republic of Macedonia,” arguing it implies a territorial claim over a Greek northern province also called Macedonia.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/16/content_10509850.htm

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