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UN envoy to accelerate Macedonia-Greece talks on name dispute

11 January 2013 21:22 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. UN special envoy for the name dispute between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece Matthew Nimetz said on Friday that he would accelerate talks between the two sides, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"I can say from my visit here that I received very strong assurances from the government that this (resolving the name issue) is a top priority," Nimetz said at a press conference after meeting FYROM Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, President Gjorge Ivanov and Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki in Skopje.

"I'm encouraged by my meeting and I'm going to accelerate the talks," Nimetz said.

Greece and FYROM are locked in a decades-long dispute, with Athens insisting that the use of the name Macedonia implies territorial claims against its northern province bearing the same name.

Nimetz said he would ask the representatives of both countries to gather in New York for a follow-up of the ideas he heard in Athens and Skopje.

He said he had revealed some ideas for a solution which were reviewed by both parties but did not disclose details.