NATO secretary-general visits Macedonia

21/04/2008

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer arrives in Skopje on Monday (April 21st) to lobby for a settlement of the long-standing name dispute between Macedonia and Greece. He is expected to stress that while NATO is not involved in the matter, it would like to see it resolved by mid-June, which would help Macedonia catch up with Albania and Croatia on the road to NATO membership. They were offered invitations to join the Alliance earlier this month, unlike Macedonia, where the rejection sparked snap elections set for June.

Athens, meanwhile, says it is willing to boost its financial aid to Macedonia and to gradually ease visa requirements if Skopje agrees to change the country's name. Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said in an interview with the Apogevmatini newspaper on Sunday that Athens will grant 75m euros to build road infrastructure in Corridor 10, which connects Macedonia with Greece and the EU. Athens is also ready to invest in Macedonian businesses and gradually remove visa requirements for Macedonian citizens travelling to Greece, Bakoyannis added. (Makfax, Telma - 21/04/08; Apogevmatini, ERT, ANA-MPA, Ta Nea - 20/04/08)