PM Zaev hopes name solution could be reached by late June

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Monday that he hoped the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece could be solved ‘very soon’, most likely before the Summit of the EU on June 28-29.

A prompt resolution to the name issue is correlated with our desire to see the row solved before the EU Summit and prior to the Council of the EU, scheduled on June 25-26, Zaev said adding: “The days are numbered.”

He was speaking to reporters in the Municipality of Aracinovo, where he attended a ceremony marking the start of the construction of a new municipal seat.

It is crucial, Zaev said, to reach a quality solution, one that is legally sound, dignified and that protects the identity, because this very solution in the future should secure a positive approval from the citizens of the country, who will ultimately express their opinion about it in a referendum.

PM Zaev said that all levels in the government were in an ongoing contact in view of the name issue while examining various strategies to end the 25-year dispute. He noted that he would inform the public right after speaking with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras on the phone.

“These are the final moments of our efforts to harmonize our positions. Once it happens, we will announce together the happy news both for the citizens of Macedonia and the citizens of Greece,” he stressed.

He fell short of answering journalists’ questions whether the Republic of Northern Macedonia, the name most frequently mentioned by the media in Greece, would be the most likely solution to the name issue.

Furthermore, PM Zaev is scheduled to pay a two-day working visit to Frankfurt, where he said he wouldn’t have talks with top German officials who might advocate for a solution to the name dispute. “The dispute is being solved in a bilateral communication between Greece and Macedonia, but the support provided by the EU, the US and the international community in general is quite important in the entire process.”

According to him, Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov would be in Berlin around the same time. However, Zaev stated, the visit to Germany has nothing to do with the efforts made to find solution to the name dispute.

Speaking to reporters, Zaev said that even though the visit to Germany had been already announced, he might cancel the trip ‘due to the importance of the negotiations and the desire to close the long-running dispute.’ 

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