Macedonia Case Study

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The Republic of Macedonia, a small country located in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, declared its independence from Yugoslavia on 8th September 1991. The Republic of Macedonia now shares its borders with five neighboring countries (alphabetically as follows): Albania (Western Neighbor), Bulgaria (Eastern Neighbor), Greece (Southern Neighbor), Kosovo and Serbia (Northern Neighbors). The population of Macedonia is approximately two million people, out of which 64% are native Macedonians, and the other minority and/or ethnic groups include: 25% Albanians, 4% Turks, 3% Romani, 2% Serbs and 2% other population. The capital city of Macedonia is Skopje and the official language that is spoken in the Republic of Macedonia is the Macedonian language …show more content…

The so-called “name dispute” does not have its roots from neither the EU nor NATO, however, the issue lies on bilateral basis – between Macedonia and its southern neighbor Greece. In terms of such bilateral relations, the issue emphasizes two broad conflicting stand-points: the Greek, which does not recognize Macedonia as an independent nation and uses FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) in whatsoever issues related to the Republic of Macedonia; and the Macedonian, which claims that Macedonian culture, language and nation is purely Macedonian, and as such unique nation, should be recognized elsewhere under its constitutional name. This serious and much sensitive issue for the Macedonian nation, has many points of views, and by such, is a very much complex issue that cannot be explained within the facts that are in possession of either Macedonia or Greece, but there is a need to go back to history, cultural features, ethnical issues, linguistic matters, and of course, data that is based on

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