Joint Statement between FYRO-Macedonia and Greece

The youth delegations of the “Greek Association for Atlantic and European Cooperation” and the “Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia” met at the Young Atlanticist Summit in Bucharest, on April 4, 2008.After fruitful discussions, moderated by the Czech representative Jan Havranek and the Portuguese representative Hugo Palma, the two delegations agreed on the following joint statement:

The young representatives call upon the governments of their respective countries to intensify the negotiations on the name dispute. They urge for a mutually-accepted solution within the United Nations framework to be reached as soon as possible, as this will allow NATO to invite F.Y.R. Macedonia as a new member.
Both delegations underline that Euro-Atlantic perspectives are commonly shared by their countries. Therefore, they call upon their governments to make all efforts possible to push forward the negotiation process. Furthermore, the resolution of the name dispute will allow F.Y.R. Macedonia to accelerate the reforms in anticipation of the negotiations on the European Union membership. This would also allow both countries to enhance and broaden their political and economic cooperation. Through this cooperation the countries will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Finally, the young representatives express their will for joint activities as Youth Atlantic Treaty Association members on cultural, political, economic and security affairs. In this regard, the establishment of a working group among their organizations will be initiated in the near future.
Bucharest, April 4, 2008