Macedonia said on Tuesday it is prepared to restart a fresh round of talks with Greece to resolve the name dispute that has dogged the two neighbors for years, Xinhua reported.
Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said that Macedonia is prepared to make its utmost efforts in order to take a step forward in the dialogue with Greece about the name issue, which has poisoned the relations between the two countries for the past 18 years..
He said that the UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz was expected to meet the negotiators from the two countries in Geneva on June 22 and that he was scheduled to pay visits to the two countries in early July.
"I believe the dynamic of the name talks will be a new step forward. Ambassador Nimetz has years of experience and I expect him to find a way in the name talks with Greece," Milososki said.
Milososki made the announcement after a coordination meeting attended by Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Vice Prime Minister Abdulakim Ademi and he himself.
Athens has been opposed to its neighbor being called the " Republic of Macedonia," arguing it implies a territorial claim over a Greek northern province also called Macedonia.
Macedonia's NATO membership was blocked by Greece over the dispute between the two countries in April last year at a NATO summit in Romania.