PM Zaev: Macedonia and Greece will find ‘dignified’ name solution

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Sunday he was confident that Macedonia and Greece would manage to find a dignified solution to the name dispute.

“I believe a solution will be found, which will be dignified for both sides, a solution that won’t encroach the identity of the Macedonian people and also won’t encroach the identity of a part of the people of Greece,” Zaev told reporters.

He was asked to comment on a statement of Greek FM Nikos Kotzias saying the draft-agreement would be sent to Skopje before his arrival to the Macedonian capital and noting that there were no concessions to the demand for a change of the constitutional name.

“I will refrain from elaborating remarks of the other party in the negotiations. Our positions are clear. We are prepared for a solution. Macedonia needs solutions and I know Greece needs solutions, too,” stated PM Zaev.

Both sides, he added, are engaged in negotiations to find a resolution to the name issue by making a distinction between the region in Northern Greece, also called Macedonia, and the Republic of Macedonia.