Athens senses name solution
The words «Northern Macedonia» could be the key to solving a longstanding bilateral dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) over the latter’s official name but Skopje will have to meet Athens halfway in approving a settlement, Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas said at the weekend. «The name ‘Northern Macedonia’ fits with the framework for a settlement that we have set out,» Droutsas told Real News in an interview published on Saturday, referring to what is rumored to be the latest proposal by a United Nations mediator appointed to break the deadlock. According to Droutsas, a rejection of UN envoy Matthew Nimetz’s proposal would not bode well for Skopje’s bid to join the European Union. «He will have to explain to his people why he is depriving them of their European prospects,» Droutsas said of FYROM’s Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. «Skopje must demonstrate its political will,» he said.