(Him: Charlie)(Him:
Charlie)
Sometimes traveling allows us to encounter some really
bizarre and funny things – the naming controversy revolving around Macedonia is
one of them.
Commonly known as the Republic of Macedonia, the official
name of this country is FYROM, Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia. Why
such weird name you may ask. That’s because the countries in the region,
particularly Greece, would not allow Macedonia to have a simple and generic
name.
Little do outsiders know, thanks to its powerful past, Macedonia
also refers to a region, which encompasses not only Macedonia, but also part of
northern Greece, part of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Albania. So when Macedonia broke
away from Yugoslavia in 1991, countries led by Greece insisted that the new
country should have a name that defines the specific region of Macedonia, such
as Northern Macedonia. In the end, one thing led to another, the name was
temporarily settled as FYROM. Yes, temporarily, because apparently, the
negotiation with Greece is still ongoing!!
This issue may be contentious in the region, but to the
outside world, the whole issue is just bizarre. Who really cares if Macedonia
is Northern Macedonia, FYROM, or simply Macedonia? In my opinion, the prolonged
negotiation is pointless and waste of time and resource. If the Greek
government is still looking to trim some gravy, they may want to start with a
few stubborn historians!
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