Whereas, on April 8, 1993, the United Nations General
Assembly admitted as a member the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, under
the name the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 817
(1993) states that the international dispute over the name must be resolved to
maintain peaceful relations between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and regional stability;
Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the
United States in bringing political stability and economic development to the
Balkan region, having invested over $20 billion in the countries of the region,
thereby creating over 200,000 new jobs, and having contributed over $750
million in development aid for the region;
Whereas Greece has invested over $1 billion in the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, thereby creating more than 20,000 new jobs and
having contributed $110 million in development aid;
Whereas H. Res. 356 of the 110th Congress urged the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to abstain from hostile activities and stop the
utilization of materials that violate provisions of the United Nations-brokered
Interim Agreement between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece
regarding hostile activities or propaganda;
Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO)
heads of state and government unanimously agreed in Bucharest (April 3, 2008)
that … within the framework of the U.N., many actors have worked hard to
resolve the name issue, but the Alliance has noted with regret that these talks
have not produced a successful outcome. Therefore, we agreed that an invitation
to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will be extended as soon as a
mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached. We encourage
the negotiations to be resumed without delay and expect them to be concluded as
soon as possible
;
Whereas the heads of state and government participating in
the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Strasbourg/Kehl (April 4, 2009),
as well as the heads of state and government participating in the meeting of
the North Atlantic Council in Lisbon (November 20, 2010), reiterated their
unanimous support for the agreement at the Bucharest Summit to extend an
invitation to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually
acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached within the framework of
the U.N., and urge intensified efforts towards that goal.
;
Whereas the government in Skopje in the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, through both its policies, activities, and rhetoric over
the last few years, has been violating the spirit and the letter of the Interim
Agreement (IA) of 1995 between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, thus undermining the friendly relations between the two countries;
and
Whereas authorities in the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia urged their citizens to boycott Greek investments in the country and
not to travel to Greece: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)urges the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to work within the framework of the United
Nations process with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United
Nations policy goals by finding a mutually acceptable official name, for all
uses, for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;
(2)urges the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to abstain from all hostile activities and stop
violating provisions of the United Nations-brokered Interim Agreement between
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece regarding hostile
activities or propaganda
; and
(3)urges the United
States Government to work in partnership with North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) allies to uphold previous NATO Summits decisions, with
regard to the enlargement issue and extend an invitation to the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name
issue has been reached within the framework of the United Nations.