I had the opportunity to meet the Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia, Teuta Arifi, along with the ambassadors of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia, during a luncheon discussion of Macedonia and the European Union. The Republic of Macedonia has been in Accession to the E.U. since 2005, and DPM
Arifi spoke openly, succinctly, and candidly of the Republic’s integration into
the European Union.
The
name dispute with Greece is considered to be the biggest obstacle to
Macedonian integration into the E.U. The name dispute is a disagreement between
the two countries concerning the official name of the Republic of Macedonia,
which is recognized by the United Nations as "the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia.” The dispute arises from ambiguity between the Republic of
Macedonia and the adjacent Greek region of Macedonia which falls within Greek
Macedonia. Greece opposes the use of the name "Macedonia" by the
Republic of Macedonia without a geographical qualifier.
What was interesting, in my opinion, about this luncheon, was seeing how diplomatically the ambassadors interacted with each other, given the tumultuous history within the region. I am certainly enjoying learning and growing in DC!
#WAIPAU2012
- Jade Adair
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