Name issue negotiations with Greece going in right direction: Macedonian PM

SKOPJE, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he was confident negotiations over the name issue between Macedonia and Greece were going in the right direction, according to local media on Tuesday.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and Greek Prime Minister Nikos Kotzias will meet on April 12 in Ohrid, west of Macedonia, to discuss name dispute.

"Progress in the talks has reached the prime ministers' level. I believe it is good for Macedonia for this to happen as soon as possible because this for us means getting a date for beginning European Union (EU) membership negotiations, but also an invitation for NATO membership," emphasized Zaev.

Zaev stressed red lines in the negotiations are the preservation of dignity and identity, which means a dignified solution for both sides.

"I believe that the ongoing commitment of the process, the steps that have been shown, enable movement. And we're moving. At the end of April, or perhaps in early May, it is possible to have a prime ministerial meeting. This of course depends on both sides," he added.

In an interview for the German newspaper "Der Spiegel", Kotzias has stated that differences in Skopje could be solved boldly.

"The differences with Skopje are problems of historical, identity, heritage and cultural character. These issues are sensitive. But they can be solved boldly, as we do now," said Kotzias.

On April 17, the European Commission will make public a progress report on Macedonia.

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. Enditem