The Federal Minister for Scullin, Harry Jenkins, has asked Foreign Minister Bob Carr to formally acknowledge the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the ‘Republic of Macedonia’.
Mr Jenkins believes many Australian key allies have already “officially recognised the Republic of Macedonia under that name” and believes Australia should too.
In his letter to the Foreign Minister, Mr Jenkins says “our continued reluctance to recognise the preferred nomenclature of the Republic in bi-lateral relations is now a minority position”.
The Electorate of Scullin has the largest population of Australians who identify as being Macedonian but also has a large Greek population.
Australia remains calling the country the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in accordance to the official UN name.
Mr Jenkins decided take on the role of “ambassador” when he met with members of a Parliamentary Macedonian delegation that pushed him to raise the issue.
The Victorian coordinator of the Australian Hellenic Council of Victoria Panagiotis Jasonides, told Neos Kosmos that the letter was “unacceptable and condemnable”.
“It is not the first time that Mr. Jenkins is provoking Greeks on the name issue of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,” he says.
“Australia settled to adopt the name of FYROM in 1994 as the UN approved it.”Neos Kosmos tried to speak to Mr Jenkins but did not get back in time of deadline.