MPO Advocacy

MPO Vice-President Delivers Message to Congress

In January 2006, MPO Vice-President for the United States Vladimir Atseff visited members of the House International Relations Committee to discuss certain anti-Macedonian resolutions pending before the Committee. These resolutions, House Resolution 521 and House Concurrent Resolution 306, express the view of certain Greek-American groups regarding the name of the Republic of Macedonia. While these resolutions are based on serious misstatements of fact and outright fabrications by the Greek-American lobby, if approved, they would express the House of Representatives' support for the Greek government's position that the Republic of Macedonia cannot be called by its constitutional name.

Mr. Atseff's message was clear – vote against the acceptance of both resolutions, which seek to usurp the Republic of Macedonia's right to be called by its constitutional name and to contravene the Administration's foreign policy decisions. Mr. Atseff met with officials in the offices of Representatives Henry Hyde, Christopher Smith, Edward Royce, Donald Payne, Elton Gallegly, Thaddeus McCotter, Ted Poe, Eliot Engel, Ben Chandler, Jo Ann Davis, and Grace Napolitano.

Mr. Atseff's visit to the Hill was in addition to the efforts of H.E. Nikola Dimitrov, Macedonian Ambassador to the United States. Ambassador Dimitrov also met with various members of Congress and congressional staff in January to discuss the resolutions and delivered documentation pointing out the egregious misstatements of fact and fabrications set forth in the proposed resolutions.