Macedonia, Greece FMs agree to build confidence, expand cooperation

Macedonia and Greece have different views in regard to Macedonia's name issue but agree to create a climate of increased confidence between the two sides and better bilateral cooperation, Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki said after a meeting Thursday with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias.

The latter paid a visit to Greece with the aim of further developing the bilateral relations and economic cooperation as well as promoting confidence between the two countries.

"An important step forward was the establishment of the confidence-building measures being promoted by our two sides, whether these concern connectivity in the sectors of transport, economy, universities, or whether they concern cooperation in the areas of security, fire-fighting, dealing with natural disasters and emergency situations," the Greek minister said.

Kotzias was received also by the Macedonian Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev and later on by President Gjorge Ivanov. The issue of the settlement of Macedonia's name was not part of the discussions at the meetings.

The name issue is a political dispute regarding the use of the name Macedonia between the Balkan countries of Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. The dispute has escalated to the highest level of international mediation, involving numerous attempts to achieve a resolution.

The two ministers also agreed to further systematize cooperation in economy and finance and to see how Greece and Macedonia can get joint projects through the European Union funding mechanism. Enditem