The Prime Minister of FYROM, Zoran Zaev effectively announced that his country will have reached an agreement on the name dispute with Greece and negotiations will conclude by the start of NATO’s meeting in Brussels on between July 11 and 12.
Speaking with Austrian radio station ORF, Mr Zaev expressed hope that the process would be completed and his country’s NATO membership move forward, along with FYROM joining the European Union.

“We have an open invitation from NATO to begin the accession process as soon as possible after the problem with Greece has been settled”, Zoran Zaev pointed out.

The NATO Council, which is expected to decide on the membership of FYROM in the Alliance, is scheduled for July 11 and 12 in Brussels. Until then, the FYROM PM wants to push forward with the name issue with Greece.

Talks between Greece and FYROM have been ongoing since 1991 when the state of FYROM broke off from former Yugoslavia. The name ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ (FYROM) was given by the United Nations in 1993 as a temporary solution and its definitive settlement is pending.

In recent months, following FYROM’s desire to join NATO and the European Union, the foreign ministers of Greece and FYROM, mediated by UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz, have been in constant consultations and meetings, amid reactions from both sides.

Meanwhile, FYROM President Gjorge Ivanov is currently holding an official visit to Turkey, where he will meet, among others, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.