A professor and a historian in Greece have released a book, an 'easy read' in a question-and-answer format to try and solve some of the most prominent dilemmas involving Macedonia and the name dispute to the Greeks.
University professor Dimitris Hristopoulos and historian Kostis Karpozilos said they were inspired to write "10+1 Questions and Answers About The Macedonian Issue" after the protests organized to 'defend Macedonia'. The authors, amongst other things, elaborate issues related to the Macedonian language, Macedonian nation, the Macedonian Constitution, which have stirred interest recently in Greece, MIA's Athens correspondent reports.
"We came up with this idea because we believe that complex questions can have simple and logical answers. We wrote the book in the format of 10+1 questions and answers after we have tried to find out which are the 10 questions the people in Greece have, what are the reasons behind some of the 'truth' circulating in Greece, which often don't have any logical explanation in reality," said Kostis Karpozilos.
Commenting on the name negotiations under way between Macedonia and Greece, Hristopoulos said the 'right solution' would be if the two parties come up with an agreement.
Karpozilos said he agreed with what the two governments had been saying that a window of opportunity had been opened to settle the long-standing issue between the countries.
Both Karpozilos and Hristopoulos said that the citizens in the two countries had basically closed the name dispute. Namely, Greeks from the northern part of the country are crossing the border frequently, Macedonians are spending their summer vacations in Halkidiki, etc.
Asked whether the Greek society was prepared for a solution, Hristopoulos responded positively: "The society now is more prepared than ever, compared to 25 years ago. Fatigue has gripped the Greek society as the people are becoming more and more confident that the issue has to be closed. And the Greek government should acknowledge this," he stated.
The writers of the book said they had come in contact with publishers in Macedonia to translate and publish their book in Macedonia.
"We have started a process for the book to be translated into Macedonian. I believe it will be a good opportunity for the Macedonian people to understand what blocks the Greeks, how they think," Hristopoulos told MIA.
"10+1 Questions and Answers About The Macedonian Issue" was recently promoted in Athens.
