Earned rights

In the wake of Sunday's protest rally in central Athens to protest against the use of the term "Macedonia" in any settlement of the name dispute with Skopje, any prediction about the outcome of ongoing talks would be risky. The same goes for the implications of recent demonstrations on Greek political parties. Meanwhile, analysts must be cautious when interpreting the reasons behind the high turnout. People's motives are obscure, outside Greece too, as diaspora groups have held rallies in a bid to influence foreign policy in a country where they don't live.

The fact is they have every right to do so as, according to Article 108 of the Constitution, "the state must take care of Greek emigrants and the maintenance of their ties with the fatherland." Something similar is included in the constitution of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and in those of other countries,...