Greek Ambassador to US speaks about the role of Greece in the Balkans

Greek Ambassador to Washington Alexandros Mallias, during a session organized by the Hellenic-American Institute in Congress on Thursday morning, spoke about Greece's policy for the achievement of stability in the Balkans and to its great economic contribution to the region's growth.

Ambassador Mallias underlined that "the future of the region's countries is found within the European Union and NATO and their accession to the Euro-atlantic institutions depends on the course of the reforms and the implementation of good neighborly relations."

Particularly regarding the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Mallias presented documents of the American secret services which were prepared in 1990 (National Intelligence Estimate) which wrote of the upsurge of "Macedonian nationalism" and claims by Skopje against Greece and Bulgaria, assessing that they constitute a factor of the region's instability.

Ambassador Mallias said that the only matter existing today between Greece and FYROM is the solution of the FYROM name issue. He noted that FYROM is continuing to use propaganda against Greece, violating the interim accord between Greece and FYROM.