SKOPJE (Macedonia), February 14 (SeeNews) – The foreign ministers of Macedonia and Greece have agreed to continue their efforts to resolve the years-long dispute on the name of the former Yugoslav republic under the auspices of the United Nations, Macedonia's foreign ministry said.
The foreign ministers of Macedonia and Greece, Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias, held a constructive meeting in Vienna jointly with Matthew Nimetz, personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General as part of the efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue, Macedonia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, hundreds of thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens to protest against any inclusion of the term 'Macedonia' in the name of the neighbouring country. According to the protesters, the use of 'Macedonia' in the country's name implies a territorial claim on Greece's northernmost region of the same name.
Greece has blocked Macedonia’s attempts to join NATO and the European Union over the name row.
NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told officials in Skopje last month that the name dispute with Greece would have to be resolved before the Balkan country could be considered for membership in the alliance.
Meanwhile, the European Commission said last week it is ready to prepare recommendations to open accession negotiations with Macedonia following the adoption of a strategy for a credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans.
Macedonia was granted EU candidate status in 2015.