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Thursday, April 21, 2005

Contact : Chris Evanoff, President
Macedonian Patriotic Organization
260-422-5900

FT. WAYNE, IN—The Directors of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO) convened a special board meeting on April16 and issued a statement urging the United States government to veto a resolution submitted by Greece to the UN Security Council that would require the Republic of Macedonia to change its name to a hyphenated and untranslated Slavonic Republika Makedonija—Skopje.

The United States recognized the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutionally- and voter-approved name on November 4, 2004, the first policy decision of the Bush Administration’s second term. The proposed Greek resolution can be rejected with one veto by any permanent Security Council member.

“The attempt by Greece to circumvent a UN-approved mediation process as well as interfere in the internal affairs of the Republic of Macedonia are intrusions into Macedonia’s sovereignty as an independent state,” MPO President Chris Evanoff said. “Moreover, Greek lobbies in the United States are forging a ‘second front’ in the U.S. Congress to pass an anti-Republic of Macedonia resolution that would countermand current U.S. policy,” Evanoff added.

The MPO board reiterated that the Republic of Macedonia has been, and continues to be, among the strongest U.S. allies in the Balkans. The Republic of Macedonia was the front-line ally for the U.S. and Europe during the Kosovo war during which it housed and fed hundreds of thousands of refugees to the point of near bankruptcy. In addition, the Republic of Macedonia remains a staunch ally of the U.S. in the War on Terror, having sent troops to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

A U.S. veto in the UN Security Council of this or similar Greek resolutions would send a strong signal to the international community that the U.S. government values its relationship with the Republic of Macedonia and respects the sovereignty and will of the Macedonian people, the MPO board stated.

The MPO, headquartered in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, is the oldest and one of the largest associations of Macedonians outside of the Republic. The mission of the MPO, founded in 1922, is to continue to work for human, civil and economic rights for all Macedonians of the world and to promote and preserve the ethnic traditions, customs and history of our people.

The MPO is located on the web at www.macedonian.org and via e-mail at mtfw@macedonian.org.

For more information:
Macedonian Patriotic Organization: 260-422-5900 / Chris Evanoff, Pres.
United States State Department: 202-647-6575
The Macedonian Embassy in Washington, DC: 202-337-3063