Germany’s Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth was heavily criticised on Tuesday for remarks he made during a press conference with FYROM’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov.
Roth described the name dispute as ‘absurd’ whilst on an official visit to Skopje and made light of the seriousness of the issue drawing a quick rebuttal from Greece’s Foreign Ministry who recommended he “refrain from offering history lessons” when visiting Balkan countries.
“We would urge the German Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth to be more careful when visiting Balkan countries, to avoid trying to offer history lessons and to show the required respect to the sensitivities of his European partners,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Speaking during a joint press conference with FYROM’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, Roth was quoted as saying:
“No one outside Macedonia and outside Greece understands the (name) dispute, which is utterly absurd. I think we should leave history to history and embark together towards our joint future.”
