Excellent suggestions which Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop should act upon without any further delays. Australia has not better friend in South East Europe than Macedonia.

Isn't the problem that true 'Macedonia' actually covers parts of several countries, including Greece? If a country called Kurdestan was proposed the same problem would arise. I don't think Australia should take a position on this - it is an old problem from the old world and we should keep right out of it. If Greeks and Macedonians want to brawl about it, please do so over there, not over here.

Now that they've changed indentity into "descendents of ancient Macedonians" -- right before the eyes of their bigoted apologists -- time for ethno-centric ultra nationalist fanatics from the former Yugolsavia to be condemned for obvious hostile racist propaganda against Greeks.

Apparently it is "human rights" for FYROM ultra nationalists to attempt to ethnically erase Greeks and use "Macedonian" word games to threaten Greek territory. Amazing how FYROM extremists that try to pawn off ultra nationalism and hate speech as Human rights" seem to have a developed a case of selective memory.

"We are Slavs. There's no connection between us an alexander the Great. " - Kiro Gligorov first elected President of FYROM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_gjBAhak18

In the 1990s,Macedonians speak a language codified in 1946,spoken by less than two million people, and with a very slender literature. They are members of an Orthodox Church whose authority was established by a socialist political regime in 1968.They are heirs to a 1903 revolution that until the 1940s was described by almost all sources as being Bulgarian. - The history of the Balkan Peninsula" Ferdinand Schevill page 432

'We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great.' - FYROM'S Ambassador Ljubica Acevshka, speech to US representatives, Washington DC, January 22 1999

If you love Macedonia so much, could you please go back there and leave us alone?

Signed. Australia.

Brilliant article!
Australia is a multiculturally diverse country!!
To further re-enforce this, Australia needs to recognise Macedonia by its constitutional name of Republic of Macedonia ASAP!