by Aggelos Skordas
Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is due for a landmark two-day visit to Skopje on Thursday and Friday, 22 and 23 March, where he is scheduled to hold meetings with his counterpart Nikola Dimitrov and the country’s leadership. Kotzias will land on Skopje’s renamed International Airport, previously named after Alexander the Great, a name that was dropped last February in what was projected as a symbolic gesture to improve relations with Greece.
Prior to his arrival to Skopje, Greece and FYROM exchanged proposals over the naming dispute that has created a rift in the two countries’ relationship for 26 years. Specifically, FYROM’s government has received a draft of Greece’s proposals and responded with its own on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Zoran Zaev revealed, while expressing optimism that an agreement could be reached soon. Addressing the press Dimitrov said that there were differences between the two documents although he declined to make any further reference on them.
Both drafts will be on the epicenter of Kotzias' historic visit to FYROM, he said adding that: “The Greek draft agreement is being analyzed at the moment. As matters get complicated when we communicate via media, I will only say that there are differences and that we hope, if we work together on one goal, to successfully iron them.” As he underlined, communication between Athens and Skope has entered a stage of exchange of written documents. “The goal is to find a substantial, dignified solution to ironing the differences over the name, which will make a distinction between our country Macedonia and the region Macedonia in Greece”, Dimitrov explained, concluding that he is looking forward to meeting his Greek counterpart in Skopje.
“We have drawn up a text that includes both our proposals regarding the open problems that we have with FYROM and a future cooperative agenda that brings profits on both sides. I have sent this agenda to Skopje many days ago.” With this statement on the sidelines of the European Union Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels Kotzias paved the way for his visit to the neighbouring country in order to enter the final stage of the negotiations.
At the same time, reports from both countries indicate that the two sides could agree on the name Republika Gorna Makedonija (Republic of Upper Macedonia). In total, United Nation’s mediator proposals are the following: Republika Nova Makedonija (Republic of New Macedonia); Republika Severna Makedonija (Republic of Northern Macedonia), Republika Gorna Makedonija (Republic of Upper Macedonia); Republika Vardarska Makedonija (Republic of Vardar Macedonia) and Republika Makedonija (Skopje) (Republic of Macedonia [Skopje]).
It should be noted that on Friday 30 March Kotzias will be meeting Dimitrov again in Vienna, in the presence of the United Nations Secretary General’s Personal Envoy Matthew Nimetz.
