Dr. Olga Sarantopoulos, SAE Secretary participated on December 3, 2004 at the Symposium οΏ½The European Perspective of FYROM and possible implications for neighboring countriesοΏ½, that was organized at the Diplomatic Academy of Austria, in Vienna. The Symposium was organized by the Austrian Society for European Politics, the Institute of Central Europe and the Institute of Danube countries and the Institute of Political Research Renner.

In her speech, SAE Secretary noted the fact that Europe should respect decision 817 of April 7, and decision of June 18, 1993 of the UN Security Council and accept the temporary name FYROM and not the name οΏ½Republic of MacedoniaοΏ½. It should be noted that the invitations of the event included the name οΏ½MacedoniaοΏ½, but following a written protest by the Intercultural Macedonian Society of Austria, the name was properly changed.
 
Dr. Sarantopoulos also made an analysis of the regional, historical data stressing the fact that up to 1944 the people of the specific region were never addressed as Macedonians and the region did not have the name Macedonia. The name of the region up to 1944 was Vardarska Banovina. On 1944 the President of Jugoslavia, Marshall Joseph Broz οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ for political and possibly expatiatory reasons-mainly to the Aegean- named the southern part of Yugoslavia as οΏ½Federal Socialist Republic of MacedoniaοΏ½. Dr. Sarantopoulos reminded the participants, that Greece wishes for good relations with the neighboring country, proven by the fact that Greece is the main financial investor in the area.

Finally, Dr. Sarantopoulos stressed the fact that in order to have peace and prosperity in the region, all countries should respect each otherοΏ½s history and roots and not try to systematically falsify historical facts and spread untrue information. Finally she requested that all participants work towards a solution of this extremely important problem that will be beneficial to both countries.

The following participated at the Symposium: Fatmir Xheladini, Deputy Minister in FYROM (DUI-Democratic Union for Integration), Professor Vladimir Gligorov, Responsible for the Balkans at the Institute of International and Financial Research in Vienna, and son of the former Prime Minister of FYROM, Natasa Gaber-Damjanovska, from the Institute of Social and Legal Research in Skopje, Stefan Lehne, Director (West Balkans, Eastern Europe, Central Asia), at the General Secretariat for Foreign Politics and Issues of Defense of the General Secretariat of the EU Council in Brussels, Dr. Friedrich Bauer, former Ambassador, Director of the delegation of the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe, responsible for the Referendum of November 7 in FYROM, Sonja Lokar, CEE Network for Gender Issues-Head of South Eastern Europe, Ljubljana, Thomas Schnoell, Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of West Balkans, Dr. Paul Leifer, former Ambassador, Director of Interdisziplinaerer Lehrgang fuer Balkanstudien in Wien, Member of the Board of the Institute of Central Europe & Countries of Danube.