Macedonia naming dispute

More than 140 countries already refer to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as "Republic of Macedonia," deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis said on Wednesday, adding that the Greek government wants an agreement on a composite name that will be used by everyone.

Ahead of Wednesday's meeting between delegates from Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in New York, United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz said on Tuesday that his proposal to resolve the decades-old name dispute will include the term "Macedonia." 

''Accelerating the Macedonian name talks between the authorities in Skopje and Athens is related to the US desire to bring Macedonia into NATO.'' This was said by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the annual press conference.

In an interview with state broadcaster ERT, the United Nations special mediator in the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz, stressed the need for negotiations aimed at resolving the disagreement to be completed and citizens to focus on a resolution.

The deputy prime minister of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) expressed optimism on Thursday over renewed efforts to resolve a decades-long dispute with neighboring Greece over the Balkan country's name that has kept it out of NATO.

The church and the state of Athens have fought for the name dispute of Macedonia. The disagreements between spiritual and civilian power have come to an exchange of messages through the media. And the government accused the Holy Synod of interfering in its politics.

FYROM (Macedonian) Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani has met with Greek government officials in Athens in an effort to settle a decades-old dispute over the name Macedonia.

"We are committed to finding a solution in this six months," said Osmani after the talks on January 9.

"I refuse to engage in speculation over the name talks," government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told a press briefing on Tuesday when asked to respond to reports in Albanian media that Athens had reached an agreement on the long-standing name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Right-wing nationalist and diaspora organizations in both Macedonia and Greece have launched campaigns against what they fear may be a rapid solution to the long-running dispute over Macedonia's name.

In Greece, the campaign is focused against any compromise name for their northern neighbour that includes the term "Macedonia", which they insists is exclusively Greek.

Macedonian town of Strumica and Blagoevgrad will work together on joint tourist offers, writes the Skopje newspaper Vecer.