ATHENS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Threatening letters have been sent to five Greek ministries, Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said Friday, as talks with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) regarding its name continued.
The Greek official made the revelation speaking on Greek national broadcaster ERT.
Earlier during an interview with another TV channel he had revealed that Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Kotzias has received a threatening letter.
"There are three bullets for you," read the first letter which also included references to the minister's family, Toskas told ANT1 TV, stressing that perpetrators will face justice.
Kotzias received a second similar letter, while four other ministers were also the recipients of such letters, Toskas told ERT, without elaborating.
The death threats came ahead of a rally planned in Athens on Sunday against the use of the term "Macedonia" in FYROM's new name.
Toskas said that some circles are creating tension ahead of the demonstration.
Greek main opposition conservative New Democracy party and the Greek Communist party KKE were the first to condemn the death threats against the foreign minister.
The long-standing dispute between the two neighbors started when the FYROM declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and chose the name "Macedonia," which is also the name of a northern Greek province.
Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.
All sides have said the goal is to resolve the long-standing name dispute within the first half of 2018, but hardliners in both countries voiced objections.
