Macedonia naming dispute

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will travel to Turkey on Sunday for a two-day visit on the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim, it was announced Friday.

Talks are expected to focus on bilateral and regional issues.

As Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia edge towards a solution to longstanding disagreement between the two countries over the latter's name, FYROM's Prime Minister Zoraen Zaev said on Wednesday that he saw no reason for changing the country's constitution.

People display Greek flags during a demonstartion near the parliament on Feb 4, calling on the government not to back up in a row with Macedonia.

The Macedonian government is ready to adopt a geographical definition in addition to the name of the Republic of Macedonia in order to reach a solution to its dispute with Greece, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio.

The prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, said on Tuesday that Skopje is ready to accept a geographical qualifier to its name and that it has already followed through on pledges of good will to Athens.

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.

Some 61 per cent of Macedonians support a solution to the dispute with Greece over their country's name, if it speeds up Macedonia's entry into NATO and the EU, a survey by the Skopje-based Institute for Democracy - Societas Civilis, a think tank, shows.

Greeks gathered outside parliament in Athens on Sunday to protest against the use of the term Macedonia in any settlement the government pursues with the ex-Yugoslav Republic to end a decades-old name dispute.
   

Protesters from across Greece converged Sunday on Athens' main square outside parliament to protest a potential Greek compromise in a dispute with neighboring Macedonia over the former Yugoslav republic's official name.

A massive rally, organized by Macedonian organizations abroad, will take place in Athens on Sunday and is expected to gather hundreds of thousands of people, protesting against the use of "Macedonia" in the name of the neighboring former Yugoslav republic FYROM.