Macedonia and Greece are committed to finding a solution to the name dispute, but differences between the two sides remained obvious after a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias, on March 23 in Skopje. 

Macedonia is involved in a long-standing dispute with its southern neighbour; Greece objects to the use of the term Macedonia, as it has a province with the same name in the north. While the two sides have been working towards a resolution of the dispute, opponents to a possible agreement within Macedonia fear that the solution might affect the country’s national identity.

Finding a solution to the name dispute is of great importance as it is a precondition for Macedonia to join the Nato and EU after years of its progress being stalled by Greece. 

Dimitrov and Kotzias presented their opinions after exchanging draft agreements with proposals for a possible solution — as part of the process, the Macedonian government has agreed to change the name of the country. 

Kotzias, who is paying a two-day official visit to Skopje, arrived on March 22 for the first time by plane, landing at Skopje airport only after the Macedonian authorities renamed the airport formerly named after Alexander the Great as International Airport Skopje. They also removed the statue of Alexander the Great from the airport. 

This was a goodwill gesture from the Macedonian side, as Greece also objects to Macedonia laying claim to Alexander the Great, who is regarded as key historical figure in Hellenistic culture by Greece.

Despite the positive approaches and the desire expressed by the two ministers to overcome the dispute, their statements showed that differences between the two sides still exist.

Kotzias confirmed that the Greek side still wants the Macedonian constitution to be changed to include the country's new name, which the Macedonian side does not see as necessary.

Dimitrov said that for Macedonia, a composite name written in one word in the Cyrillic alphabet without any translation, as the Greek side proposed, is not acceptable. For example, Athens favours the name GornaMakedonija, which it doesn't want translated to the English version UpperMacedonia. 

Dimitrov said it is difficult to explain to Macedonian citizens that such a solution (GornaMakedonija) is acceptable as “if you say it quickly then the word Macedonia might be somewhat lost in pronunciation”.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who also met the Greek foreign minister, seemed confident of a positive outcome. He said he is convinced that the current approach will lead to a solution that will give enough acceptable arguments to institutions in both countries, as well as the opposition, to accept a dignified solution.

“We remain committed to improving our bilateral relations, to nurturing them and to making them even better after the name issue is resolved, because citizens in our countries, our friends in the EU and the international community expect a solution to this issue,” Zaev noted in a government statement.

However, Greek media, which showed a great interest in the Dimitrov-Kotzias meeting, commented that differences are still huge between the two sides and the chances of a compromise are slim.

Kotzias underlined that the Greek side believes in an “honest agreement from which both parties will benefit in future, and there will be no one to lose.”

For Dimitrov a sustainable solution is one that will be accepted by both sides.

The difficulties in achieving this were highlighted on March 23, when a group of Macedonian citizens held a protest in front of the government in Skopje during Kotzias’ visit to show their displeasure with the plans to change the country’s name. One protestor accused Greece of objecting to the word Macedonia after expelling the Macedonian population from the region also called Macedonia which it annexed in 1913 (a reference to the Bucharest treaty signed that year). 

Zaev said earlier that the proposals by Skopje and Athens are only tools that will help in the negotiation process, while the draft international agreement, which is expected from UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, is of key importance.

However, Kotzias said on March 23 that Greece prefers a constitutional change, not a solution via international agreement.

Both foreign ministers will meet Nimetz in Vienna at the end of March.