Macedonia naming dispute

FYROM (Macedonia) is looking at four options to settle a decades-long dispute with Greece over its name, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

The small ex-Yugoslav republic and its southern neighbor Greece have agreed to step up negotiations this year to resolve the dispute, which has frustrated Skopje's ambition to join NATO and the European Union.

According to Macedonian newspaper Vecer, 10,000 people rallied despite the bad weather.

MIA agency reported that the protest was organized by the civic initiative "For United Macedonia" with the aim of "defending the name of the state and the identity of the nation."

Zoran Zaev, the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on Tuesday confirmed the four options currently being discussed with Greece in talks aimed at resolving a dispute over FYROM's name while Athens said it was awaiting evidence of Skopje moving toward a compromise.

Macedonia has put forward four options to settle the decades-long dispute with Greece over its name, the country's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, said on Tuesday, quoted by the Guardian.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has put forward four options to settle the decades-long dispute with Greece over its name, the country's Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reportedly received a proposal last week for an agreement in the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) that reliable sources say is comprehensive.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has urged the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to resolve a long-standing naming dispute with neighboring Greece so the country can open membership talks with the European Union.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has begun the process of changing the name of its airport honoring the ancient warrior king Alexander the Great as a goodwill gesture to Greece.

Turkish consortium TAV, which operates Skopje Alexander the Great Airport, started removing the 3-meter-long (9.8 feet) letters spelling out the name from the terminal Saturday.

Workers remove the letters of the sign reading 'Alexander the Great Airport' on the front of the airport building near Skopje, on Saturday.

All those involved in negotiations aimed at resolving a dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over the latter's name are keen to reach a solution by the end of March, FYROM's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in comments published by the Balkan Insight website on Friday.