Macedonia is not a country: US Congressman

The government of FYROM has expressed its anger and outrage to the US administration after Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher suggested ‘Macedonia is not a country’ and should be divided up between Kosovo and Bulgaria.

Rohrabacher who had made the remarks during an interview with Albanian media referred to FYROM as ‘Macedonia’ and said its ‘creation’ was a failed project and the times were right for a rethink of a fresh redrawing of the borders.

“My inclination is Macedonia is not a country. I’m sorry – it’s not a country. There is such a division in their country they will never be able to live together in the future. For this reason, Kosovars and Albanians from Macedonia should be part of Kosovo and the rest of Macedonia should be part of Bulgaria or any other country to which they believe they are related,” he was cited as saying.

“The idea is to keep Macedonia alive because someone 30 years ago decided it is a configuration that should come out of the dismantling of Yugoslavia,” Rohrabacher continued.

Meanwhile, FYROM’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement expressed its dismay at the Congressman’s statements saying they “generated immense anxiety regarding Macedonia and the region. They inflame nationalist rhetoric in the neighbouring regions, taking us back into the past. We believe that the US State Department will adequately remove any doubt about the stated positions and will affirm its policy towards Macedonia and the Balkans.”

It should be noted that the issue of partitioning the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been suggested before in the past by Russia and other state players often citing the ethnic mix of the country which has seen tensions and unrest between the ethnic Albanians and the rest of the population.

Albanians make up nearly 25% of the population if FYROM.