Opposition’s deputy leader and shadow minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, denies rumours she has committed to lobby the Gillard Government for the recognition of FYROM by its constitutional name.
Quizzed by Neos Kosmos about the content of her discussions with members of a parliamentary delegation from Skopje, which visited Australia recently, Ms Bishop responded that “at no point did I say that I would lobby to change the policy”.
Ms Bishop confirms that the “Coalition’s policy of using the title FYROM has not changed” and makes clears she did not inform the delegation “that it would change”.
Ms Bishop is another leading member of a major political party who has been used by the propaganda instruments of Skopje to create the false impression the Gillard government is under pressure to recognise FYROM as “Republic of Macedonia”.
However, in her written response she states that the only undertaking she has given is to seek clarification from the government “regarding the naming of their country”.
“During my meeting with the FYROM delegation I informed them that I had written to former Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd last year seeking clarification of the formal government policy regarding the naming of their country, as I had received a similar submission from a previous FYROM delegation.
“I told them that Mr Rudd had not replied and that I would write to new Foreign Minister Bob Carr about the same issue.
“A member of my staff took detailed notes of the meeting and at no point did I say that I would lobby to change the policy.
“The only people present at the meeting were me, my staffer, the translator and members of the delegation, so there can be no other ‘sources’.
“The erroneous reporting appears to have been based on a misunderstanding of my comments by the translator.
“The Coalition’s policy of using the title FYROM has not changed, nor did I inform the delegation that it would change”.
Neos Kosmos understands Ms Bishop gave similar explanations to his Excellency the Ambassador of Greece to Australia Mr Alexis Christopoulos during a meeting in Canberra.
The President of the Pammacedonian Society of Melbourne and Victoria Mr Dimitris Minas applauded “the consistency” of the Coalition regarding the name of FYROM.
“We are pleased by the fact both the government and the opposition maintain a consistent line against recognising the Former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name until a mutually accepted solution is reached by the governments of Athens and Skopje.
“We are perturbed, however, by the deliberate twist of Australia’s position by the known centres of pro-FYROM propaganda instruments. The time has come, we believe, for Australian politicians to silence permanently the sinister propagandists by condemning publicly their intolerable practices” Mr Minas Said.
