It was bad all the time, but now it has reach the culmination because R.Makedonija is eager to join the NATO and other international organizations. Greece is going to veto them. Greece wants it to find another name... Macedonian politicians are working with sweaty foreheads and coming up with some options, which could satisfy both Greece and local inhabitants and would not lead to changing the constitution. There are some options on the right-hand side for your consideration and voting :)
[Republic of Skopje, Republic of Vardar, The Central Balkan Republic, Dardania (well, offered by Greeks, but I don't think it is considered at all because it is Albanian tribe and covers more the territory of Kosovo), Slav Macedonia, Vardar Macedonia, Upper Macedonia, New Macedonia, North Macedonia, Republic of High Macedonia (Gorna Makedonija), Republic of Macedonia (Skopje), Republic of Macedonia–Skopje, Democratic Republic of Macedonia, Independent Republic of Macedonia...]
My mom wrote me yesterday that she was flying from Skopje to Prague with some "činas" (VIP) because other passengers could enter the plane only through the second entrance, but on the first ramp there was the red carpet. Soldiers had to glue it to the asphalt for the wind not to lift up any corner. The guard of honor was in such interesting costumes that my mom thought they are going to dance folk dances. More guys in civil clothes were running around and talking on walkie-talkies. Inside the plane the Business class curtains were closed all the way and disembarkation of "normal" passengers was also delayed.
My mom was asking maybe I saw something in the news who were those VIPs, but actually I have no idea what is going on and who exactly is visiting Skopje these days. I just know that special unit ALFA or WOLVES guys in gray camouflage costumes with automatic weapons are standing each 500 meters on most roads. When I was coming back from the Skopje airport after saying byes to my mom, they were each 100 metres on both sides of the road and all the way till the city. When we were returning from Ohrid earlier, simple soulders in khaki uniforms were sweeping the asphalt near the Parliament building. There is police everywhere these days, with sirens and some VIP cars after them. Police is making a big mess in the traffic as well. They should not be allowed to regulate the traffic. They seem to be even worse that the unreliable Skopje traffic lights, which can just go off one moment, or green can appear simultaneously for everybody (cars and pedestrians for all directions), or it can skip green for one traffic lane at one time...
Yesterday, I finally finished my tooth. I have a metal-ceramic crown now. My first crown...it was a big psychological move. After it was done, to compensate for all my suffering, my sweet Macedonian dentist asked his son (who is also dentist, by the way) to make me some tea with rakija, whiskey or ouzo from "our Greek friends." Unfortunately I got just a simple chamomile tea without anything, though I cannot say that I was protesting much. It was all a joke and they did not have any ouzo or whiskey, just rakija. But it facilitated our talk about these last developments. I also started to read the daily newspaper which bore a review on the name issue on the front page (the same as all newspapers since more than a week ago...). So we had quite a nice talk in my broken Macedonian over politics with my dentist and his dentist son. I also had to introduce Latvian history and politics a little bit.
This is not going to be any official opinion, just my subjective one (with factual addition from both dentists). I have a feeling that what Greece is doing now with fighting for the copyright, patent or call it as you wish of the name "Makedonia", it is putting territorial claims on a much larger territory. Macedonia is a historic region, which covers parts of the current territory of Greece, FYROM, Bulgaria, little piece of Serbia and little piece of Albania. If you want to see the borders of Macedonia as they were in the reign of Macedonian Alexander, you can go even further... Although people here have tendency to megamania and love and sorrow for lost empires, lets stick to the more moderate borders of Macedonia.
As my dentist said, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of) borders with Macedonia on all sides. The biggest part of the region is indeed in Greece and is called Aegean Macedonia. The part now in Bulgaria is called Pirin Macedonia. And the part I am living in now is called Vardar Macedonia. When the pie was divided Aegean piece went to Greeks (though not without pain from the Bulgarian side, which were largely inhabiting the region and ruling it before and in between and always hoping to get back the exit to the Aegean sea...but always picking the wrong ally in the World Wars: Germany), the Vardar piece - to the Serbs, and the Pirin piece was left for Bulgarians.
There was a big difference between Athens and southern part of Greece and Salonika in Macedonia - the northern part of Greece. When Greeks kicked out all the Turks and Bulgarians from the northern part of Greece, i.e. Macedonia, they named it all Greece or Hellas (Hell Ass...). So maybe they want rename themselves to Macedonia now? No. Then why don't they want to let another country use this name? Why Bulgarians are not putting a claim too, because there is a big region of Macedonia in Bulgaria as well? Why it is so impossible to have the same name for a country and a bigger region? Macedonians living here in this name-less state do not have another identity. They don't feel neither as Greeks, nor Bulgarians, nor Serbs (ok, a big part do feel like Albanians :)).
I was surprised that Macedonian Greeks in their capital Tessaloniki do not really care about this issue that much as Macedonians here in FYROM. The volunteers living there had not heard much about the debate, and the newspapers bore different news on the front page and maybe just a small piece about their northern neighbors. There were no protests of people on the streets like here in Skopje. So what are Greek politicians so worried about and why do they need all this? Not that there is such a big passions from their nation. Or maybe there are, just they are too lazy... :)
It do look like stupid old-fashioned Byzantium ambitions. And in my opinion, the West should not support Greece so much. There is not much to love them for except the things the current Greek generations are not responsible for, such as Pantheon or Mount Olympe, or Olympic games...or the natural tourism attractions. And the European Union knows what kind of liars they are and have been acting too much as a kind mother to a beautiful, but spoilt child.
P.S... maybe I do have a subjective point of view because of my information space, but forgive me that
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