Macedonia naming dispute

The Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Zoran Zaev says a solution to the name dispute with Greece must secure the dignity and identity of "Macedonians" and Greeks.

"I hope that the solution will preserve the dignity of "Macedonians" and Greeks, " Zaev said, according to the MIA agency in FYROM.

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."

The national identity of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's inhabitants is threatening to become a stumbling block in the negotiations between Athens and Skopje to resolve their decades-old name dispute, as suggested on Thursday in the comments made by FYROM's leadership.

Greece will soon submit draft proposals to resolve its decades-old name row with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), its foreign minister said, adding that a settlement could be reached in the coming months.

During his visit to the Macedonia, UN mediator Matthew Nimetz said that issues about [Macedonian] "identity" are not part of his mandate - and that he had not heard the Greek side denying the identity of the people who live in Macedonia.

In comments made to the media following talks with the United Nations mediator in the dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over the latter's name, FYROM's foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov said citizens of his country had the right to call themselves "Macedonians."

A United Nations envoy has started talks with the leadership of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) over ending a long-running dispute with neighboring Greece over the country's name.

Matthew Nimetz met FYROM's president Gjorge Ivanov in Skopje on Thursday and will also see government officials and party leaders.

Ahead of Wednesday's arrival in Skopje of United Nations special envoy Matthew Nimetz, the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Zoran Zaev, insisted that his country's plans to hold a national referendum over the name dispute with Greece would not be an obstacle to a solution but rather will serve as a guarantee of its permanence. 

A UN special envoy urged Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Tuesday to seize on momentum in talks to resolve a name dispute straining relations for a quarter of a century, saying the two sides now appeared "energized" to reach an accord.

Now is the time for decisions to solve the 25-year-old name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), United Nations special envoy Matthew Nimetz said in Athens on Tuesday after meeting with Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.