SKOPJE, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev declared Monday that he wanted to solve the name issue with neighboring Greece but at same time preserve dignity and identity of both sides.
"The negotiations are bringing us closer to a solution. Nonetheless, I don't think it's easy. This is a serious issue which has not been solved in 25 years. I don't want to make any comments, because I sincerely want a solution which would preserve the dignity and identity of both sides involved in negotiations," Zaev told reporters here at a press conference.
Zaev gave such answer to the questions of reporters regarding Greece's request towards Macedonia to change its constitution.
Although Zaev said he wanted to give the negotiating process a chance, he didn't give any statement whether there will be changes to country's constitution or not.
In the meantime, Macedonia and Greece are expected to hold another round of talks on this issue since the Macedonian media reported Monday that Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is expected to visit Skopje at the end of March.
Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov on Monday voiced confidence that both countries would soon reach a solution to the name dispute.
He said at a press conference that Macedonia was doing all it could to reach a fair compromise that was acceptable to both sides. However, he noted that the solution was not only Macedonia's.
Macedonia is formally called the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) at the UN. However, Macedonia is also the name of a northern province in Greece and the Greek authorities are worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.
During the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, Greece vetoed FYROM's application to enter the alliance without having resolved the name issue. While Macedonia has renewed its efforts to join the EU and NATO, Greece has signaled that its position remains unchanged.
