High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union Federica Mogerini today in Brussels named Macedonia under its constitutional name.
– Yes, it is on our agenda. Together with Commissioner (Johannes) Hahn, we already visited, not Macedonia, but other countries in the Balkans, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Commissioner himself will talk about it, but the focus that we have in the Balkans is high. Bosnia is the only country that I visited twice in the first three months, and I devoted particular attention to restart the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. In this framework, Macedonia is on the agenda, as it always is on the agenda the need to support and to help countries that are key to our region. When talking about the neighborhood, the Balkans is not the neighborhood, it is Europe – Mogerini said at a joint press conference with EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
Because the name dispute with Greece, representatives of the EU generally do not use the constitutional name of Macedonia, but the reference FYROM.
Did Mogerini erred in answering the journalist’s question, or only hinted change in EU policies?
Immediately after taking office, Mogerini said the EU within two years could recognize Palestine as a state, and also was the first EU representative, who in the context of the crisis in Ukraine, said that Russia should no longer be called “strategic partner” of EU.
It is unclear how or if the new Greek government will react the same as the previous government of Antonis Samaras.
Portal “Euractiv” reports that EU Commissioner Hahn was not impressed when Mogerini used the name Macedonia, and in his speech continued to use the reference “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.
