American Hellenic Institute Praises Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) For His Stance on Macedonian Naming Issue

Washington, D.C. – The American Hellenic Institute praised Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) for urging that Greece’s neighboring country be known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) instead of the “Republic of Macedonia.”

AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis made his comments in a July 20 story in the Newark Star Ledger about the New Jersey Democrat who is holding up President Bush’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Macedonia, Philip Reeker.

Menendez has been “acting in the best interests of the United States to help create stability in a region where Greece is an important player,” Larigakis told the newspaper.

“The issue is not just the name,” Larigakis told the Star Ledger. “It’s what the name implies and how that will be interpreted, which Greece sees as an attempt to claim its territory.”

Menendez, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a strong supporter on issues affecting U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus as in the best interests of the United States for years on Capitol Hill.