ATHENS, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Prime Minister Zoran Zaev voiced optimism on Tuesday wrapping up a visit to Greece that the two neighboring countries will reach during 2018 a solution on the name dispute which divides them for over two decades, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
"For our part, we are ready for a substantial and true engagement into resolving the name issue in the first six months of this year. I am convinced that it is possible to find a solution, but of course it is also necessary to encounter readiness from the other side," Zaev said, according to AMNA.
Zaev said he chose to spend the New Year holidays in the port city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece to send a message that politicians should open closed doors in order for citizens to communicate and cooperate better between them and abandon prejudices, according to the report.
FYROM's Premier was a guest of Thessaloniki Mayor Yannis Boutaris since Saturday, but both sides refrained from making statements to local media, underlining that the visit was private.
According to an-emailed Press statement from the office of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday the two premiers exchanged wishes for a Happy New Year during a telephone conversation.
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.
Following a government change at Skopje in 2017 the climate of cooperation between the two sides for resolving the name issue has improved, fueling optimism for an end to the dispute.
The name row can be resolved during 2018, UN mediator Matthew Nimetz said a few weeks ago in Brussels.
