Thanasis Pafilis on Macedonia Issue: "NATO and EU are the people's murderers, not guarantors of borders"

Speaking earlier today (Wednesday) at the Greek Parliament, the parliamentary spokesman of the Communist Party of Greece Thanasis Pafilis, mentioned that nobody must see the Macedonia name issue (between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) "detached from all the developments in the wider region and especially in the Balkans". 

Thanasis Pafilis attacked both those who organize nationalist rallies - such as the one that took place three days ago in Thessaloniki- as well as those who express cosmopolitan views, underlining that both "do not challenge the accession of this country in NATO and the EU". More specifically, the KKE MP said: "The government's urgency [to solve the problem] - we don't know what agreements made in the USA- is exactly related with that. Because the USA and NATO in general are interested to incorporate FYROM in NATO and the EU, in order to finish the encirclement of Russia". 

Macedonia naming dispute: Commentary by the KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas

In an interview to "Real FM" radio on Friday 19th January, the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas was asked about the ongoing developments in the naming dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Below you can read abstracts from D.Koutsoumbas' answers to the questions regarding this matter:

"It is clear that during this period, the Greek government and to a certain degree the government of Skopje as well, are facing powerful pressures for a solution in the naming issue, especially from the side of the USA and NATO. These powers are keen for the accession of FYROM in NATO because, as well know, the contradictions and competitions, especially in the Balkans, are very intense.

Large economic interests are clashing and Russia does not want to lose its influence that traditional has in the Balkan region and the USA are interested to abstract countries from Russia's influence and to integrate them in the so-called euroatlantic axis, NATO and the EU. […] For that reason, according to our opinion, the nomenclature is preceded disconnected from the other issues. Its not that the name issue is not an existing matter, but I think we must get out of this sterile nomenclature.