Roundup: Macedonia positive on solving name row with Greece

SKOPJE, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Macedonian government believes that the conditions are being created for the process of solving the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece, a government statement said Thursday.

The official reaction from the Macedonian government comes one day after Macedonia and Greece mediators, Vasko Naumovski and Adamantios Vassilakis respectively, met in New York with United Nations mediator Mathew Nimetz.

Athens and Skopje are at odds over the use of the name of Macedonia since Greece's northern neighbor broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Macedonia is formally called Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) at the UN. Macedonia is also the name of a northern province in Greece and Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.

During the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, Greece vetoed FYROM's application to enter the alliance without having solved the name issue.

As Skopje has renewed efforts to join the EU and NATO, Greece has signaled that its position remains unchanged.

During the trilateral meeting in New York, a set of ideas was presented by Nimetz for a solution on the name issue.

Upon conclusion of the meeting, Naumovski told Macedonian media that the ideas presented were far from a dignified solution for Macedonia.

However, government's position Thursday was quite different as it noted that the Macedonian government was committed to resolving the dispute with Greece on the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia.

"However, the talks' outcome will depend on the readiness of the two sides to compromise," read the government's statement.

The Macedonian government also noted that it wouldn't comment the statements made by the Macedonian mediator after the meeting in New York until an in-depth analysis and until state leadership established a position.

Meanwhile, Macedonian media cited UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz saying that he was optimistic after meeting with negotiators of Macedonia and Greece on the name of Macedonia, speaking of a positive climate during the trilateral meeting.

He noted that the process was moving in a positive direction, highlighting that the two countries have governments that really want a solution and that the issue can be resolved within the next six months.

The solving of name issue is seen as the main obstacle that Macedonia should overcome in order to make progress towards its European Union and NATO integration process. Enditem