Fresh Macedonia, Greece “Name” Talks Announced

Macedonia's Foreign Ministry confirmed that UN mediator Matthew Nimetz will meet with Macedonian negotiator Zoran Jolevski and his Greek counterpart Adamantios Vassilakis on January 27 in New York to renew talks.

However, it is not clear whether a fresh proposal for a compromise name will be put on the table.

Last week, Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said that his country is keen on continuing the talks. The last time the two representatives officially met with Nimetz was in March 2010.

In September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Nimetz talked to Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, but the discussion yielded no visible progress.

On Saturday, President Gjorge Ivanov said that Nimetz was expected to boost the process.

"We believe a solution will be found and that is why we are taking part in the process. We are always constructive and provide our proposals," Ivanov said.

Athens and Skopje have been locked in a dispute over the use of the name Macedonia for almost two decades. Greece insists that the official name of its neighbor- Republic of Macedonia- implies territorial claims against its own northern province, which is also called Macedonia.

Skopje, meanwhile, maintains that a name change might jeopardize its identity and dignity. UN talks aimed at solving the spat intensified in 2008 after Greece blocked NATO from extending an invitation to Macedonia pending a to the disagreement.

At the end of 2009, with no compromise in sight, Greece again used its position to block Macedonia from getting a date for start of its EU accession talks, despite a recommendation from the European Commission.

After missing several informal deadlines set by the EU last year, many observers believe that the two sides are far from reaching an agreement. While formal talks are held from time to time, little visible progress has been made.