Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (2nd L) talks with UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz (Front), the mediator in the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), in Athens, Greece, on Jan. 30, 2018. Matthew Nimetz on Tuesday urged the two sides to seize the momentum and settle the issue which divides them for over two decades. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
By Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz, the mediator in the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), on Tuesday urged the two sides to seize the momentum and settle the issue which divides them for over two decades.
Nimetz made the remarks during his visit to Athens for a new round of discussions with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias. On Wednesday the UN envoy will pay a visit to Skopje for talks.
"There are difficult issues; as we know this dispute has been around for a long time, but I think there is a will here and I believe also in Skopje to try to reach a settlement," Nimetz told reporters.
"There is a momentum here and we should seize the momentum. I think waiting, slowing things down doesn't make any sense here," he stressed.
The UN official did not comment on the ideas he has presented to the two governments lately, but said he felt positive about the outcome of his meeting in Athens and the position of the Greek government.
Nimetz added he expects that this round of talks should end in a few weeks and then all sides will re-assess it to move forward.
On his part, Greek Foreign Minister Kotzias also talked about a "constructive meeting" with Nimetz.
In an interview with Greece's public broadcaster ERT, Kotzias said that the Greek side will present a draft agreement to Skopje within February that deals with all open issues relating to FYROM's new name.
All sides in recent months have expressed optimism that the decades-old name dispute could be resolved even within the first half of 2018.
The intensified contacts between the two countries after Zoran Zaev was elected Prime Minister of FYROM last year, have fuelled hope that the UN-mediated dialogue this time may end successful.
The longstanding dispute between the two neighbors started when FYROM declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and chose the name "Macedonia" which is also the name of a northern Greek province.
Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.
Zaev, who held a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, has said that his government intends to solve the name dispute in order to open the way for the country's accession to NATO and the European Union.
