Papoulias on FYROM issue

SOFIA (ANA-MPA/B. Borisov) - Greek President Karolos Papoulias sent a message to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) from here that “as long as they insist on their intransigent positions, so much the more they shall keep the door of NATO closed and the accession procedure towards the European Union frozen,” as well as to Ankara that the issue of Cyprus is an issue that “deeply affects Greek-Turkish relations” and constitutes “a substantive obstacle for the European Union’s relations with Turkey.”ANA-MPA

Speaking during the official dinner hosted in his honour by his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov, President Papoulias, referring to fYRoM, stressed that “the problem lies in that Skopje show the entire geographical area of Macedonia as the fatherland of their own nation,” and noted that “Greece supports a solution that will reflect the reality of the region.”

On the question of Cyprus, President Papoulias said that “it is an international issue of invasion and occupation” and added that “Greece supports a solution that will respect the principles of freedom, democracy, the state of law and of human rights. A European solution that will implement the acquis communautaire and will implement the resolutions of the Security Council for Cyprus.”