Athens yesterday retained a cautious stance on ongoing efforts to solve the Macedonia name dispute even after the United Nations mediator expressed “greater optimism” following a fresh round of talks. A Foreign Ministry source told Kathimerini that Athens is “neither more optimistic nor more pessimistic than before,” noting that Skopje “has still not kept its side of the bargain.”

After talks with diplomats from Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in Vienna, UN mediator Matthew Nimetz expressed a more positive outlook but added “there is still much to be done.” He invited them to meet again in New York next week, just a few days before NATO’s crucial summit when the alliance will decide whether to invite FYROM to join its ranks.

No official comments were made regarding the contents of yesterday’s talks. But sources said FYROM’s representative said he would accept a composite name if it defines it as a polity. Athens has stressed that any composite name should define FYROM geographically.