Macedonia says new push underway to resolve naming dispute with Greece

by Kerin Hope

Financial Times
January 9, 2017

The Republic of Macedonia’s deputy prime minister for European affairs said on Tuesday that a new push was underway to settle a 25-year-old dispute with Greece over the country’s name.

After a meeting with Greek foreign minister Nikos Kotzias in Athens, Bujar Osmani said both sides were committed to resolve the issue within six months.

They have already agreed that Macedonia, known internationally as Fyrom (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), should adopt a “composite” name.

According to diplomats, this would most likely be either “New Macedonia” or, in a geographical reference, Vardarska Macedonia. The use of a composite name would avoid confusion with Greece’s own region of Macedonia.

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