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Greece, FYROM foreign ministers to meet again after Vienna talks

Greece, FYROM foreign ministers to meet again after Vienna talks

The foreign ministers of Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) issued a joint statement on Tuesday in which they vowed to continue negotiations aimed at resolving the longstanding name dispute between the two countries.

The statement was issued following talks involving Greece’s Nikos Kotzias, his FYROM counterpart Nikola Dimitrov and United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz in Vienna. “Following a constructive meeting as part of the the efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue, the ministers of foreign affairs agreed to continue their efforts under the auspices of the United Nations,” the joint statement said.

The Greek side would like talks with Skopje to continue so that the two countries can agree on the text of an agreement to resolve their dispute.

Kotzias and Dimitrov also met separately in the Austrian capital on Monday night, when they discussed the matter as well as the process that the two sides will follow in the coming weeks. The two ministers are also expected to meet on the sidelines of the informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers which is due to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, tomorrow and Friday.

Athens and Skopje are broadly in agreement regarding the intention to have a proposal regarding the name issue, as well as a number of other related matters, ready at some point next month. In the meantime, the Greek government will keep a close eye on the developments in FYROM, where there is a fragile political balance.

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