Date of Fresh Skopje-Athens Talks Not Set

Gaitanis said that the UN mediator has yet to determine when the next meeting with Macedonian negotiator Zoran Jolevski and Greece’s Ademantios Vassilakis will take place, MIA news agency reported.

“Nimetz has been in touch with the parties regularly since his meetings with them in New York during the last week of April - but has made no concrete decision as to the timing of a formal meeting,” Gaitanis said.

The UN press release comes after last week local media reported that Skopje is expecting a new proposal from Nimetz this month.

Local media have speculated that the name the UN negotiator is planning to propose will be similar to the name previously suggested, a variation of 'Republic of Northern Macedonia', but with no obligation to those countries that have already recognized Skopje’s name, Republic of Macedonia, to change their stance.

Some 120 states, including the USA, China and Russia, have recognised the country under its constitutional name. Skopje is reluctant to give up this recognition and has insisted that those countries be left to decide whether they will change their stance should a compromise name be reached in the talks with Athens.
 
The latest visit of the US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Philip Gordon, to the region and his meetings with leaders in Skopje has been seen by the local media as yet another push by Washington to speed up the talks.

Macedonia’s NATO entry and progress towards EU membership has been hampered by the longlasting dispute. Greece has blocked Macedonia's entry to these organisations pending a resolution to the spat.

Athens insists that Skopje’s official name implies a territorial claim against its own northern province, which is also called Macedonia.

The EU has also been pushing the two sides to reach a solution quickly. EU officials have indicated that they would like the issue to be solved by June, when the Spanish EU presidency will end, but acknowledge that time is short.