Gjorgje Ivanov

[Risto the Great]

I like it very much.

[torbeshboy]

Finally someone with some balls.

[Risto the Great]

Welcome Torbeshboy.
That is my kind of first post!

[Soldier of Macedon]

Welcome Torbeshboy, nice to see you here. Hope you can contribute more often, as a rarity on these forums, your perspective is most welcome.

[Pelister]

I like this statement and it has suprised me a bit. I hope there is more like it.

[Soldier of Macedon]

http://www.dnevnik.com.mk/?ItemID=87...AA29830B7E8154
Лудост е да прифатиме име со географска одредница за севкупна употреба, рече претседателот Ѓорге Иванов на брифинг со македонските новинари што известуваат за неговата официјална посета на Берлин и средбата со германскиот претседател Хорст Келер.

- Не постои правен акт со кој Грција може да ја принуди Македонија да ја прифати позицијата на Атина.

Македонија никогаш не отстапила од двојната формула во преговорите за името. Имаме добри односи со јужниот сосед, а проблемот за решавање на спорот за името е кај политичките елити. Грција е таа што не сака да се реши прашањето - рече шефот на македонската државата на средбата со новинарите.

По средбата со Келер, Иванов го прераскажа германскиот претседател велејќи дека тој бил зачуден што во односите со Грција, наместо за надминување на економската криза, се разговара за спор за име.

- Келер покажа зачуденост како може во денешно време такво прашање да биде на агенда кога ни претстојат други важни теми. Од разговорот можеше да се почувствува дека Германија лобира за Македонија. Германија ја поддржува Македонија, исто како што ги поддржува и другите кандидати, но и членките на Унијата. Не можеме конкретно да кажеме дека Германија е на македонска страна, но претседателот Келер покажа голем интерес за се' што правиме за да го решиме спорот со Грција - изјави Иванов.

Тој се осврна на името и во говорот на темата „Република Македонија на патот кон ЕУ“, кој го одржа во фондацијата „Конрад Аденауер“. Иванов и' порача на Европа да не се колеба.

- Минатата година Македонија ја почувствува тежината на нерешителноста, колебливоста и несигурноста на европските држави. Во Букурешт видовме едно лице на Европа што не служи на чест на нејзиното име. Од Грција сме навикнати да очекуваме негативност и таа не не' изненади. Но, од Европа очекувавме поддршка и нејзиното отсуство се забележа - рече шефот на државата.

Excerpts in English translation:

It is crazy to accept a name with a geographic determinant for overall usage, said the President George Ivanov during a briefing with Macedonian journalists who are reporting on his visit to Berlin and his meeting with German President Horst Koehler.....

There is no legal act that Greece could use to make Macedonia accept the position of Athens......

Macedonia has never departed from the double formula for the name. We have good relations with our southern neighbor, and the problem of solving the name dispute is among the political elites. Greece is the one who does not wish to resolve the issue - said the head of the Macedonian state during his meeting with reporters......

From the conversation it could be felt that Germany is lobbying for Macedonia....

Strong words by the Macedonian president.

[Jankovska]

Finally

[Risto the Great]

Finally indeed.
This is the first ever decisive statement coming from the Macedonian Government and a welcome one at that.

[Bratot]

I like his statement, but I won't jump up of happiness..not yet. Since I have seen a lot of word-games so far, sayin one thing but doing the opposite.

[Struja]

Macedonian president quarrels with Greek Ambassador to Germany

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/8238/1/

After Ivanov's speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Greek Ambassador Tassos Trikunis stood up with his finger in the air and yelled that Prime Minister Gruevski is poisoning Macedonians with Alexander the Great.

"This is poison, it is poisonous" the ambassador stated, despite the fact he hadn't been invited to the event.

Macedonia's president on the other hand offered solution to the Greek Ambassador in solving the name dispute. "Macedonia 39%, Greece 51%" stated Ivanov, perhaps not realizing that the Greek Ambassador did not understand his sarcasm.

"We are 39% of the total Macedonian area, but we are 100% Macedonia, while you are 5%. Now, who has the right to Macedonia?" asked Ivanov.

It just doesn't end with these Greeks and their mentality...

Ive been waiting for a statement such as this! its about time.... Bravo Ivanvo

[Daskalot]

Finally someone with some balls.

dobro doijde Torbeshboy!

[Daskalot]

Macedonia's president on the other hand offered solution to the Greek Ambassador in solving the name dispute. "Macedonia 39%, Greece 51%" stated Ivanov, perhaps not realizing that the Greek Ambassador did not understand his sarcasm.

"We are 39% of the total Macedonian area, but we are 100% Macedonia, while you are 5%. Now, who has the right to Macedonia?" asked Ivanov.
[/B]

Could someone explain the math behind this statement of Ivanov, I do not get it.

The 39%, 100% and 51% are all fine, but the 5%, what does he refer to with that figure?

[ZAS]

Odvaj zastana Leader na zdrava noga.

[Bratot]

He said 1/5 , but in the text on MINA they put 5% incorectly.

[I of Macedon]

Ivanov: We can't ignore 126 countries

Macedonia wants name solution to be found but does not want to hold talks on national identity and language. It is unacceptable for us to negate 126 countries that have already recognised the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov said late Monday in his address in Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, media reports.

Macedonia is the only country in the world that was conditioned for membership in the UN, in the NATO and now probably in the EU, Ivanov said, answering questions to the present guests on name dispute and Macedonian integration in NATO and EU.

- With the UN Resolution 817 in 1993 it is requested to hold talks with the neighbour on differences regarding our constitutional name and we are doing this for 16 years. We should not discuss about basic right to self-identification and self-determination. Yet we have accepted to discuss, although we changed the Constitutional and flag there was no results again, Ivanov said. He underlined the interim agreement in 1995 in which Greece obliged not to block Macedonia’s membership in international organisations which was not obeyed in Bucharest last year when it vetoed invitation for NATO admission.

In Bucharest we have accepted Nimetz’s proposal “The Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)” or to join NATO under provisional name “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” but this was not enough for Greece, Ivanov said.

- Macedonia actively participates in UN-led negotiations and mediator Nimetz during his last visit to Skopje on July said that Macedonian side wants a compromise. We are really prepared for reaching a solution, which will be a compromise. However, Ivanov said that compromise is like tango, it takes two to tango. Now the resolving of problem is again postponed due to parliamentary elections in Greece next month and presidential elections in the spring next year.

Greek ambassador to Berlin Tasos Kriekoukis reacted on Ivanov’s address who said that Athens agrees the name of the northern neighbour to include the word Macedonia but with entry which would differentiate from the same Greek province and for international usage. He pointed out that larger part of region Macedonia belongs to Greece and made remarks on naming facilities after Alexander and Filip of Macedon, on erecting their monuments.

Ivanov answered that the Republic of Macedonia does not ban anyone to be named Macedonia or Macedonian. He denied that Macedonia steals culture and history pointing out that as UNESCO member is obliged to protect cultural and historical heritage on its territory. He asked why Greece does not react the same for Bulgaria who erected a monument of Philip II in Plovdiv?

- I have proposal, president added, to accept the name “Macedonia 39%” because such part of region belongs to the Republic of Macedonia and 51% to Greece. But these 39% percent are 100% Macedonia and Greek 51% are only 5% from Greece, so hereon the question is posed who has right to be named Macedonia.

He assessed the provisional reference FYR Macedonia as absurd. He emphasised that Macedonia wants to be recognised as European and not as former Yugoslav. How would you feel Germany i.e. its eastern part to be named “former Soviet colony” or Americans to be named as “former British colony.” We do not live in the past but in the present, we are no former but real and want to be treated for what we are, with dignity and right to self-determination, Ivanov said.

In regard to integration in NATO and EU, Ivanov said that they are strategic goals to which Macedonia is fully dedicated. He considered that integration in Euro-Atlantic structures should be assessed according to merits and achievements and the next logic and natural step for Macedonia is visa liberalisation and the start of EU talks.

- We want sincerely to become part of NATO and EU. We are prepared to make difficult decisions if necessary, but not at price to our dignity, President Gjorge Ivanov said.

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/8244/45/