What can Macedonia expect of Greece and the USA following Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ visit to Washington? After meeting Samaras, US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden did not mention the name issue directly. Indirectly, however, they appealed for resolution of the Balkan issues although the favored Greek scenario was avoiding difficult national issues altogether, Cvetan Cilimanov, MIA’s Washington-based correspondent, says.

Edward Joseph, former analyst of the International Crisis Group and now Balkan expert at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, says the reason for this should primarily be sought in the extremely dire situation in Greece.

“Samaras’ statements that Greece is an island of stability are nonsense. It is true they carried out reforms yet their internal situation being very serious is still the most important. Debts are not just numbers on a piece of paper. It is hard for me to say this, yet the other issues, such as the name issue, fade away in comparison with the Greek problems. Imagine Greece falling apart. They have a fascist part, the Golden Dawn, a minister of administration, Mitsotakis, who is trying to change completely their administration laying off so many people, and they are still very much indebted. Unless new aid arrives after elections in Germany, Greece faces another financial crisis that threatens the economy of the whole world,” Joseph says and adds that under such circumstances it is good that Obama only alluded to the name issue.