Macedonia PM Cautious After Meeting Papandreou

The Macedonian prime minister and his Greek counterpart George Papandreou had an informal meeting Tuesday in Madrid on the sidelines of the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit.
 
“I am neither more nor less optimistic than before, as the problem is long-standing and we have been expecting its closure for a substantial period of time,” Gruevski told media after the two men talked.
 
Gruevski said that during the meeting Papandreou expressed his will and desire that the two sides reach a swift, mutually acceptable settlement within the UN led negotiations.

He added: “I hope that these words turn into reality, as saying and doing are two different things, hence I would be restrained in this regard.”
 
The two premiers also reviewed the current developments in the region and agreed on the need for all Western Balkan countries to join the European Union as soon as possible.

According to the Macedonian premier, the two leaders addressed the Greek economic crisis, with Papandreou presenting reassuring information that the main problem has been resolved and the door to economic recovery has been opened.

Athens and Skopje are locked in a long standing row over the use of the name Macedonia. Athens insists that Skopje’s official name, Republic of Macedonia, must be changed, arguing that it implies a territorial claim against Greece's own northern province, also called Macedonia.

In 2008 the spat escalated when Greece blocked Macedonia’s entry into NATO. In December last year, Athens prevented Skopje from getting a start date for its EU accession talks because of the same dispute.

The UN led talks for solving the spat have so far been in vain. Local media speculate that a fresh round of talks will be agreed to shortly.