Senior Macedonia official in Greece for name dispute talks
Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia Bujar Osmani center, walks downtown Athens as he arrives for a meeting with Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs George Katrougalos on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018. Osmani is in Greece as the two countries have agreed to resume efforts to try and resolve a long-standing name dispute that began after the tiny Balkan republic gained independence from Yugoslavia. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
ATHENS — Macedonia's deputy prime minister is visiting neighboring Greece in an effort to resolve a long-standing dispute over the tiny Balkan republic's name that has blocked its membership of NATO and closer integration with the European Union.
Bujar Osmani met with government officials in Athens yesterday, as the two governments pledged to try and resolve the dispute before the summer.
Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. But Athens says the name implies a territorial claim over its own neighboring region of Macedonia, and is seeking a so-called "composite name" solution.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said yesterday that the talks were made possible after the Macedonian government abandoned "extreme positions," but did not elaborate.
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