Former Yugoslav

The EU's chief executive on Thursday told the six Western Balkan countries that future membership of the bloc was theirs to secure, but toughened a message that reforms were more important than timelines.

The decision taken by Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his cabinet to rename the country's main airport and a main highway has been made official.

The alterations are meant to be a goodwill gesture as talks over the name issue with Greece continue.

Following demands for more transparency in the ongoing diplomatic effort on the name dispute with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will hold a briefing for political leaders at his office on Saturday.

The Greek government is prepared to do what it can to resolve a lingering dispute with neighboring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) over the latter's name, spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Thursday.

Panos Kammenos, the leader of junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), has proposed holding a referendum on the name dispute with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Greece said Friday that it will not sign up to a name deal with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) if the neighboring state does not give up on any territorial aspirations.

The deputy prime minister of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) expressed optimism on Thursday over renewed efforts to resolve a decades-long dispute with neighboring Greece over the Balkan country's name that has kept it out of NATO.

Conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday called upon the leftist-led government to "stop dividing Greeks" over the name dispute with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

New Democracy wants to see the government's official position on the name dispute with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) before taking a stand on the issue, the vice president of Greece's conservative opposition party, Adonis Georgiadis, has said.

A deputy of Independent Greeks (ANEL), the government's right-wing coalition partner, has suggested the party could support a compromise solution over the name dispute with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).