[QUOTE=makalek;100121]I agree that some citizens are easily manipulated and think that NATO and EU membership will solve everything but there are obvious benefits. NATO ensures the safety of their members which can make foreign investors feel safer about investing in a foreign country while the EU is the biggest economy in the world and EU membership will open up many more new markets. You still need to have good polities but there is no question that NATO and EU membership can help a country grow their economy significantly. Just look at how ahead Slovenia is compared to us? We are similar in size but they had smarter politicians in the past and they became members of NATO and the EU which has made their economy and standard of living much higher than that of Macedonia.[/QUOTE]


Slovenia is ahead economically not because of how smart their politicians were. There were several factors throughout the existence of Yugoslavia that resulted in Slovenia's economic wealth in the region during and post-Yugoslavia. Including that the geo-politics was much different in Slovenia than in Macedonia.

[QUOTE=julie;100134]Slovenia is not known by any other name.....[/QUOTE]

Julie, that is true but Slovenia didn’t have any roadblocks. We would already be a member of both organizations if it wasn’t for Greece. Macedonia has met the criteria for NATO membership (we even have more troops in Afghanistan than Greece) and the European Commission gave us a positive recommendation for two consecutive years that we are ready to being negotiations with the European Union but Greece continues to block us. They are the only country that is against our membership in NATO and the EU for ridiculous reasons but unfortunately those organizations rule by consensus which means every country has to agree for a new member to join. They are using that power to dictate and blackmail Macedonia by having us accept what they propose but we will not give in and I’m optimistic that many countries will soon get tired of Greece’s games.

The EU is the biggest mistake Macedonia can make but I am glad to se that people are starting to see that. For once Bulgaria has been useful to us:). Now that BG is in the EU everything is so expensive, the poor are more poor than ever and worse they have to follow some EU laws. In Kriva Palanka people are changing their mind about EU because they will have to stop so pechenje rakija, hm I dont think that will go down very well:)
Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunel, who knows

The EU will fall in the next 5 years...

Its time for people in Macedonia to wake up and realize that its up to us to build the nation, not some high credit hand outs that will ultimately indebted the country...

[quote=Volk;100142]The EU will fall in the next 5 years...

Its time for people in Macedonia to wake up and realize that [B]its up to us to build the nation[/B], not some high credit hand outs that will ultimately indebted the country...[/quote]Well said.

[QUOTE=Volk;100142]The EU will fall in the next 5 years...

[B]Its time for people in Macedonia to wake up and realize that its up to us to build the nation[/B], not some high credit hand outs that will ultimately indebted the country...[/QUOTE]

This is what needs to be done. They need to do it themselves. The problem is that Gruevski is doing the exact opposite - rather than build up the nation, he is breaking it down one law at a time. A recent study on the effects of the Ohrid Framework Agreement have indicated that over 70 laws have been changed (most of them under Gruevski), federalising the country, into two halves, an Albanian one and one comprised of the rest.

Honestly, if Gruevski is serious about building up the nation he could start buying land somewhere around Galichnik, and start building a Macedonian city, brick by brick, one house at a time - a place held in trust by either the Macedonian Orthodox Church, or the government. They are all too busy sucking the life blood of our history, and our sacrifices until there is nothing left.

[FONT="Verdana"]I just saw this article on the web. Bulgarian president basically says that Bulgaria wont accept a new name for Macedonia with a geographical tag like "Northern" because he says that Bulgaria also have a territory called "Pirin Macedonia" in the north and the tag "Northern" might create a territorial claim issue between Bulgaria and Macedonia!!!

[QUOTE][B][COLOR="Red"]Parvanov Hints Bulgaria Disturbed by Compromise Name in Macedonia-Greece Dispute[/COLOR][/B]

Certain geographical references in the proposed compromise in the Macedonia-Greece name dispute might be unacceptable to Bulgaria, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov hinted in Slovenia.

"We will support every compromise name for Macedonia, but seeking a name in a geographical aspect can generate public tension in Bulgaria," Parvanov stated in Ljubljana at a joint news conference with Slovenian President Danilo Turk on Monday, as cited by Focus.

The notorious name dispute between Macedonia and Greece has been going on since the former declared independence in 1991. Greece is concerned that the recognition of Macedonia's name could allow it to have territorial claims for it since much of northern Greece is also in the geographic region of Macedonia. The dispute has led Greece to technically block Maccedonia's accession to NATO and the EU; it has been the reason that Macedonia is a member of the UN under the name "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."

The latest suggestions by the Greek government for a compromise name of Macedonia mentioned last week by Greece's Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas have been "Northern Macedonia" and "Upper Macedonia."

Speaking in Ljubljana Monday, Parvanov warned that a geographically-based compromise name for the Republic of Macedonia can cause tensions in among the Bulgarian citizens, and "not so much among the institutions."

"I am giving as an example what is heard these days – compromise names such as "Northern Macedonia" or "Upper Macedonia" must be commented keeping in mind the fact that Pirin Maceodnia, which is Bulgarian territory, is also part of Northern and Upper Macedonia. What would the population of this part of Bulgaria say?" Parvanov told journalists in the Slovenian capital.

"But let our friends find a common name, we Bulgarians will find a way to express our constructive position," the Bulgarian President said reminding that Bulgaria was the first sovereign nation to recognize the independence of Macedonia, and to do so under its constitutional name.

He further noted that Macedonia no doubt had to have an European perspective, and that the sooner the name dispute is settled, the sooner its way towards the EU and NATO membership will be opened.

"Greece and Macedonia must make there choice based on the already proposed names. We must also take into account the delicate moments, which President Parvanov mentioned," Slovenia's President Danilo Turk said in turn.

June 6, 2011

[url]http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129016[/url][/QUOTE]


This is becoming more ridicules as the problem continues...
[/FONT]

Well, maybe if they rename both countries and add identifiers - the countries of "hole"

Greece - A Holes
Macedonia - B Holes

Diaspora - Glory Holes

Yet another slovenian politician to be disgusted with.....this time the president..what an idiot....appalling...

I can't believe everyone will be so supportive if Macedonia changes its name. What a wonderful world we live in (apparently).

Truth be told, I like Greece & Bulgaria arguing over this issue. Gives them something else to worry about.