Baku-APA. Greece reiterated its political will to resolve the decades-old name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) during the latest visit of UN Secretary General's personal envoy Matthew Nimetz to Athens on Wednesday.
Nimetz held talks with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos over a set of ideas and proposals he had presented to representatives of both sides in New York in late November last year, according to local media reports.
The content of the formula, on which he will also discuss with FYROM officials on Thursday at Skopje, remains confidential.
However, Nimetz expressed optimism that a mutually acceptable solution can be reached following the Athens talks.
He welcomed as a "substantial contribution" to the negotiation process Greece's proposal last October for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two neighboring countries, which would set out the framework and parameters for a resolution.
On the Greek part, Avramopoulos reiterated Greece's "firm commitment and political will to achieve a solution which will strengthen bilateral relations and regional stability," a Greek Foreign Ministry press statement said.
After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, the use of the name Macedonia has become subject of a heated dispute between Greece and the new independent republic of FYROM.
Amidst fears in Athens of possible territorial claims from Skopje over the Greek northern province of Macedonia through the use of the term, the UN opened a marathon negotiation process to reach an agreement on the name to replace the interim name FYROM, which still has not led to results.
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