In Spain, Mr. Burns gave hope on the Skopje issue through his criticism of its government. Under Secretary Burns, a former U.S. Ambassador to Greece who is well versed on the Skopje issue, met Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni in Madrid. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Under Secretary Burns said that FYROM must assume responsibility and meet Greece “halfway”. FYROM, he said, must also respect Greek sensitivities so that a mutually acceptable solution can be found.

Burns also said that during meetings with FYROM Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki he had stressed that “the prime minister and the government of Skopje must show greater sensitivity for Greek public opinion and for the Greek government”. He also added that some of the actions by the Skopje government were “unnecessarily provocative” towards Athens. Mr. Burns concluded by saying “we realize the importance of the heritage of Macedonia in Greek history, the modern-day political stage, in the hearts and minds of Greeks. We hope that progress will be achieved and you must be certain that the U.S. will support a solution agreed to by both sides”.

Asked by the press on whether a Skopje decision to withdraw the name “Alexander the Great” for the country’s international airport would have an impact on Greek positions, Greek FM spokesman Georgos Koumoutsakos said that this would not affect Greek positions, which remain focused on the issue’s substantive dimension.