Still no concrete proposal to solve Macedonia name issue

Despite new developments between Macedonia and Greece regarding Macedonia's name issue, still there is no concrete proposal on how to solve the situation, UN official Mathew Nimetz said on Monday.
Nimetz, the UN negotiator for the name issue between Macedonia and Greece, met Macedonian Premier Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov to discuss the progress made so far.
"The meetings I had with Zaev and Dimitrov were positive and encouraging as they both declared that they were open-minded and open to reflect on this issue but at this moment, there is nothing concrete," he announced after his visit to Skopje.
Nimetz, who has been the negotiator for the name issue for many years, said he was happy to see that this issue was once again in focus.
"It's a good thing that the Greek prime minister is planning a visit to Macedonia and we should find a way to intensify the process. But don't expect major changes to happen in the next few months. Time has come to make definitive and concrete proposals," Nimetz told reporters here.
Athens and Skopje are at odds over the use of the name of Macedonia since Greece's northern neighbor broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991.
Macedonia is the name of a northern province in Greece and Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.

Source: Xinhua