The statement by US senior diplomat Daniel Fried confirming the existence of Macedonian identity caused an avalanche of reactions in Greece. 

Athens views the statement of US Assistant Secretary Fried as "a new pressure that does not contribute to negotiated settlement of the name issue.

"Such comments are doing a disservice. The subject of negotiations is concrete and it aims to find a mutually acceptable compromise on the name issue," Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said.

The statement came after Fried's remarks at the Foreign Press Center Briefing, when asked by a journalist if the U.S. recognizes "the so-called Macedonian ethnicity and language".

"I don't think it is so-called. Macedonian language exists. Macedonian people exist. We teach Macedonian at the Foreign Service Institute. We teach Serbian, we teach Croatian, now we teach Bosnian. All languages are human creations and they develop over time and become codified. And it's not up to - you know, there is a Macedonian language," Fried said.

"There is also the historic Macedonian province, which is different from the country. And it's important. It's quite clear that the government in Skopje, what we Americans call the Government of Macedonia, has no claims. We recognize the difference between the historic territory of Macedonia, which is, of course, much larger than the current country."

Assistant Secretary Fried stressed that the United States is supportive of the Nimetz process on the name to settle this issue.

Asked by a journalist to explain his mentioning of ethnicity, Fried made clear it is for people to define themselves.

"It is for people to define themselves, ultimately, I suppose. The ethnicity is just a fact as far as I can tell. The issue of the name is something that is on the table. And this is something to be discussed. I’m not the negotiator and I’m not, certainly, an anthropologist or an ethno-historian," Fried said at Monday's press briefing in Washington.