Foreign relations of Greece: Encyclopedia II - Foreign relations of Greece - Balkans

Foreign relations of Greece - Balkans

Foreign relations of Greece - Bilateral relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia FYROM

Greek refusal to recognize the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) under its chosen name of "Republic of Macedonia" has been an important issue in Greek politics since 1992. Greece was adamantly opposed to the use of the name "Macedonia" by the government in Skopje, claiming that the name is intrinsically Greek and should not be used by a foreign country.

Furthermore, Greece believes that an independent "Republic of Macedonia" bordering the Greek region of Macedonia would fuel irredentist tensions in FYROM. The dispute led to a Greek trade embargo against FYROM. in February 1994. Mediation efforts by the UN, U.S., and EU brokered an interim solution to some of these differences in September 1995, leading to the lifting of the Greek embargo.

The republic agreed to be recognised internationally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) while retaining "Republic of Macedonia" as its constitutional name, as well as changing aspects of its national symbols and constitution to address Greek concerns that they laid claim to Greek cultural symbols and territory.

Since the signing of these interim accords, the two governments have concluded agreements designed to facilitate the movement of people and goods across their common border and improve bilateral relations. Talks on remaining issues are still being held under UN auspices in New York.

Greece's stance on the naming issue has come under increasing pressure in recent years. At least 20 countries have recognised the Republic of Macedonia, rather than FYROM. These include the United States (in November 2004), the Philippines, Iran, Estonia, Malaysia, Russia, Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and others. The European Union, however, has publicly stated that it has no plans to recognise the FYROM as the Republic of Macedonia.

In the spring of 2004, FYROM substituted its army on the Greek border with police patrols, as part of its general border demilitarization framework.

Greek foreign policy strongly supports FYROM's integration into NATO and the European Union, as a part of the long-term process of integration of the majority of Balkan states into the EU. Greece is the first among foreign investors in FYROM, having invested a total of more than 460 million euros. It is expected that the relations between the two countries will improve even more when FYROM is accepted as part of the European Union.

Foreign relations of Greece - Bilateral relations with Albania

Greece restored diplomatic relations with Albania in 1971, but the Greek government retained a cease-of-fire and did not formally lift the state of war, declared during WWII, until 1987. After the fall of the Albanian communist regime in 1991, relations between Athens and Tirana became increasingly strained because of widespread allegations of mistreatment by Albanian authorities of the Greek ethnic minority in southern Albania, and of the same by the Greek authorities towards alleged Albanian minorities in northern Greece. A wave of Albanian illegal economic migrants to Greece exacerbated tensions. On April 10, 1994, there was an attack on an Albanian military post near the Greek border by Greek commandos that left two Albanian soldiers dead and three wounded. The crisis in Greek-Albanian relations reached its peak in late August of 1994, when an Albanian court sentenced five members (a sixth member was added later) of the ethnic Greek organization "Omonia" to prison terms on charges of undermining the Albanian state. This was in retaliation for the border attack. Greece responded by freezing all EU aid to Albania and deporting 115,000 Albanians working in Greece, most as illegal immigrants, and sealing its border with Albania [2]. In December 1994, however, Greece began to permit limited EU aid to Albania, while Albania released two of the Omonia defendants and reduced the sentences of the remaining four.

Today, relations between the two countries are relatively good, and, at the Albanian Government's request, about 250 Greek military personnel are stationed in Albania to assist with the training and restructuring the Albanian armed forces. There are still many Albanian workers in Greece that have not received legal papers despite promises by the Greek government, though this is due to extensive bureaucracy of the Greek state. Furthermore, many Greeks believe the large in-flux of Albanians into Greece to be responsible for the rapid rise of crime in Greece.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Balkans", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki