Nimetz sees ‘positive momentum’ in bid to resolve name dispute
In an interview with state broadcaster ERT, the United Nations special mediator in the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz, stressed the need for negotiations aimed at resolving the disagreement to be completed and citizens to focus on a resolution.
As diplomats from Greece and FYROM prepare for exploratory talks this week in New York on the issue, Nimetz said there was a "positive momentum" in efforts to resolve the dispute, referring to trust-building measures proposed by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and the absence of provocative rhetoric from Skopje.
He also pointed to a declared interest in resolving the disagreement from both sides and deemed that Greece's strategic role in the region would be boosted in the wake of a solution.
"I think that people in both countries are maybe ready to hear some solutions that are consistent with national interests but also have some element of compromise," he said.
As for the name solution, he said he would propose ideas similar to those that have been put on the table in the past and confirmed that there will be discussion about some kind of determinant but did not elaborate.
He indicated, however, that the proposals themselves would not be new though the approach to a solution might be. "There's always a new way of looking at things," he said, adding that, "of course there's nothing totally new, there's no new magic."
