The Name Issue

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March 23, 2004

By Jason Miko

By a vote of 411-0, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday, March 11, 2004, expressing the sympathies and condolences of the U.S. House of Representatives on the death of President Boris Trajkovski. This was a very appropriate way for the U.S. House to give its respect and honor to President Trajkovski and the Macedonian people, and the Congress often passes these types of resolutions for such occasions.

But one of the most remarkable parts of the bill was its use of the term ‘Republic of Macedonia.' The U.S. Congress, a legal and legislative body, set a precedent by recognizing the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name. And throughout the debate on the bill (which is contained in the Congressional Record, the official record of all speeches and debates on the floor of Congress), the name ‘Republic of Macedonia' was used throughout. No artificial "FYROM" and no reference to "Slav-Macedonians" or other racist slurs were in the debate. In fact, throughout the record, the name ‘Republic of Macedonia' is referred to over and over again, by several members of congress, along with general praise for Macedonia and President Trajkovski.

The passing of this bill, with the name of the Republic of Macedonia, begins to set a precedent. Previously, the Government of the United States of America has signed agreements with the Government of the Republic of Macedonia without referring to "FYROM" (witness the agreement on the so-called Article 98 of the ICC), which then adds to the general trend of recognition. Add to that the numerous statements coming from Washington, DC, London and other capitals, referring to "Macedonia" or "Government of Macedonia" or even sometimes, "Republic of Macedonia" and we can see a general trend in the right direction.

Of course I firmly believe that now is the time to recognize the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name. After all, a temporary name could be interpreted by some extremists as a temporary country whereas a permanent name definitely denotes a permanent country. It also sends the signal that Macedonia and her citizens are wanted and needed in the family of nations, thereby giving respect and dignity to all Macedonians.

The recent elections in Greece also lend urgency to the need to recognize Macedonia by its constitutional name as well. New Democracy is seen in some political circles as being more "hard-line" on the name issue than PASOK, their socialist predecessors. If this is the case, then it could actually work in Macedonia's favor as they will be seen as being inflexible.

Finally, world attention will continue to focus on Macedonia and the region in the coming months and years. The Olympics this summer in Greece will bring a great amount of focus to the region and Macedonia can benefit from some of that exposure. And, in November, the first of two major films on the life of Alexander the Great will be released. The first, by award-winning director Oliver Stone, is titled simply "Alexander" but promises to be a major Hollywood production, in the area of $200 million in production costs, turning it into a giant advertisement for Macedonia. The controversy over Alexander will no doubt continue (it rages even now as I write this) and the Greeks will do their part to either promote or savage the film, based on what angle Mr. Stone takes. And the following autumn, 2005, yet another major production comes out on the life of Alexander.

While the Government of the Republic of Macedonia cannot necessarily push too hard against the Greeks in New York at the United Nations, there are other ways in which Macedonia and her citizens can be involved in promoting the use of the name "Republic of Macedonia" and encouraging world Governments to simply recognize Macedonia now.

In terms of legislation in the United States, Macedonian-Americans and others who care, need to be lobbying their members of congress, their state legislatures and even their media to take a look at the issue and consider Macedonia's claims. They must present thoughtful and careful arguments as to why Macedonia should have a permanent name (these arguments are very easy to formulate). In other countries, the legislative process is probably similar and Macedonians from all countries, but especially Europe, Canada and Australia), should be engaging in the same activities. Be sure the Greeks are.

In a similar way, Macedonian businessmen, from Macedonia and abroad, could be engaging in activities such as sponsoring advertisements for Macedonia during the Olympics. Such advertisements could be for tourism in the Republic of Macedonia and should make use of the constitutional name. I even have a slogan for this which can be used: The Republic of Macedonia. Ancient Name. Young Country. ®

Ultimately, it would be good to see Macedonians from all walks of life, and from all countries around the globe get involved in pushing this issue. There is a movement toward resolving the name issue in various capitals around the world, and it is in favor of recognizing the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name, which is the only morally correct option to undertake. But we all can and should be involved in this whether we are Macedonian citizens or simply individuals who care about Macedonia.