Greece–Republic of Macedonia relations

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is ready to add a geographical qualifier to its name to help resolve a dispute with Greece that has held up its prospects of joining the European Union and NATO, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Tuesday.

UN envoy Matthew Nimetz has reportedly found a compromise solution in the Greece-Macedonia dispute over the name of the latter, a former Yugoslav republic.

And the county's new name could be "(Republika) GornaMakedonija."

U.N. mediator Matthew Nimetz presented new proposals Wednesday to resolve a 25-year-old dispute between Greece and Macedonia over the Balkan nation's name and said he should know within two months whether progress can be made.

Nimetz told reporters after meeting with negotiators from both countries he is "very hopeful that this process is moving in a positive direction."

Albanian media are said to be reporting that Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have reached an agreement on a name for the latter.

An unconfirmed report on the website of I Efimerida suggested that an Albanian news outlet is quoting "Greek government sources" in saying that the two sides have agreed to the name "Republic of New Macedonia."

The deputy prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is visiting Greece in an effort to resolve a long-standing dispute over the tiny Balkan republic's name that has blocked its membership of NATO and closer integration with the European Union.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said a major step has been taken on resolution of the dispute with Greece on the name of Macedonia, France press reported.

The two recent meetings of foreign ministers of both countries in Athens and Skopje helped to establish friendly relations. "This is not a solution, but a big step was taken," the prime minister told Skopje.

A new episode in the saga of the relations between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) takes place in the last few days.

The latest disagreements between Athens and Belgrade could lead to Greece moving toward recognizing Kosovo, writes Koha Ditore.

Greek officials walked out of a meeting of foreign ministers from NATO member states in December after protesting a document referring to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) by its constitutional name, which is the subject of a dispute with Athens.

Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are nowhere near a solution to the name dispute, the Balkan statelet’s foreign minister, Nikola Poposki, said on Saturday.