[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 4866] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]``ALL IN A NAME,'' GREECE'S CONCERNS REGARDING THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA'S ACCESSION TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION ______ HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN of florida in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 2, 2008 Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, later this week the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold a Heads of State and Government summit in Bucharest, Romania. One of the major issues considered will be the expansion of NATO and the possible extension of membership invitations to Albania, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). In this context, I would like to bring to the House's attention excerpts from the April 1, 2008 Op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled ``All in a Name,'' written by Greece's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dora Bakoyannis. [From the Wall Street Journal, Apr. 1, 2008] All in a Name (By Dora Bakoyannis) Athens.--The NATO summit comes to Southeastern Europe this week, and Greece is looking forward to it . . . As the region's oldest NATO and EU member, Greece feels a profound obligation to be constructive, supportive and practical regarding our neighbors. We wholeheartedly espouse the policy of enlargement, and I am happy to say that two members of the so-called ``Adriatic Three,'' Croatia and Albania, are today in a position to further the principles of the North Atlantic Treaty and earn their invitation to NATO in Bucharest. However, it saddens me that we cannot so far say the same about our neighbor, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom). For over 15 years, our two countries have been involved in United Nations-sponsored negotiations regarding Fyrom's name. Greece has real and concrete concerns over the issue. What's in a name, you may ask? A great deal, I can assure you. The term ``Macedonia'' has always been used to delineate a wider geographical region, approximately 51% of which is part of Greece, 38% of which is in Fyrom, and 9% of which is in Bulgaria. Not only does the government in Skopje insist on being the sole claimant to the name of an entire area--the largest part of which lies outside its borders--but authorities in Fyrom insist on portraying Greek Macedonia as ``occupied'' territory. While government leaders declare they have no designs on Greek territory, they refuse to remove such claims from textbooks, state maps and national documents . . . And we are not alone in our quest. In the U.S. Congress, 115 members, both Republicans and Democrats, recently co- sponsored House Resolution 356, which expressed the ``sense of the House of Representatives that Fyrom should stop hostile activities and propaganda against Greece, and should work with the United Nations and Greece to find a mutually acceptable official name.'' NATO has consistently encouraged full normalization of relations not only with aspirants themselves but with neighboring third countries not belonging to the Alliance. Greece will spare no effort in reaching a real and viable solution for the sake of peace and stability in the region. Alliances and partnerships, however, can only be fostered among countries if there is mutual trust and goodwill. ____________________