Macedonia naming dispute

Organizers claim that 400,000 people gathered on Sunday, while the police unofficially estimated the crowd at 100,000, the AP reported.

FYROM (Macedonia) has shown that it has the capacity to carry out reforms in the spirit of NATO's values, says the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg.

During a meeting with Macedonian Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska, he said that Macedonia has shown it has the capacity to focus on democratic processes, defense reforms and become a factor of stability in the region.

Five proposals for FYROM's (Macedonia's) new name are still on the table after a meeting in New York, writes the Albanian language website Tema.

The meeting brought together representatives of Skopje and Athens and was mediated by UN envoy Matthew Nimetz.

The meeting brought together representatives of Skopje and Athens and was mediated by UN envoy Matthew Nimetz.

According to the report, these five proposals are: the Republic of New Macedonia, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, the Republic of Upper Macedonia, the Vardar Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Macedonia (Skopje),.

A website in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Thursday published the five names it claims United Nations negotiator Matthew Nimetz brought to table in talks the previous day between representatives from Athens and Skopje.

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."

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.

The UN mediator in the Macedonia-Greece "name" dispute has told journalists following fresh talks between the two sides in New York that he believes the dispute could be solved within the next six months. He added that he "truly" believes both governments have genuine intentions to solve it.

Skopje raised new obstacles to a solution to the name dispute with Athens after its chief negotiator said on Wednesday in New York that the proposal submitted by United Nations special mediator Matthew Nimetz was "far from dignified." 

Skopje raised new obstacles to a solution to the name dispute with Athens after its chief negotiator said on Wednesday in New York that the proposal submitted by United Nations special mediator Matthew Nimetz was "far from dignified."