3 ms·
Greece's logic in disapproving of the name Macedonia is that they fear that Macedonia (the republic) could some day claim the Greek province of Macedonia. By t
by Svip 8y ago
Greece's logic in disapproving of the name Macedonia is that they fear that Macedonia (the republic) could some day claim the Greek province of Macedonia. By that logic, so should Luxembourg (the grand duchy) be able to claim the Belgian province of the same name.
- seszett 8y agoThere's a difference though, in that the province of Luxembourg was indeed a part of Luxembourg (the country) not even 200 years ago. So it would be a much more legitimate claim.
- Tharkun 8y agoI don't think the rich Grand Duchy would be terribly interested in acquiring the empoverished Belgian province.
- fibbra 8y agoThat is not an official stance. Macedonia is part of the Greek identity. FYROM (still the official name until the agreement gets implemented in a few months) have been claiming this Greek identity by misappropriating history. Think of it as a trademark violation.
- jcranmer 8y agoA more appropriate parallel is the US state of California, which is named as it was once a part of a region named after Alta California, the name California first being applied to the then-thought-to-be-an-island peninsula in modern Mexico. The country of Macedonia was part of a region generally called Macedonia for over a thousand years, as the initial named unit of Macedonia (which was in Greece) expanded to cover a wider area.
- phobosdeimos 8y agoBad logic because Greece's borders are internationally recognized. Nobody legalised Russia annexing the Crimea. You cannot just claim territory unless you're a superpower. Besides I think the people in Greece-Macedonia are happy being Greek.