“Perseverance, Patience and Quiet Diplomacy”
Possible Resolution of the “Name” Issue Between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
On 12 June 2018, the Prime Ministers of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev announced that they had agreed on a mutually acceptable solution to the “name” issue setting the two countries apart. The United Nations has assisted the two parties in the search for a solution since 1993, when then-Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali appointed Cyrus Vance to carry out his good offices to solve the differences between FYROM and Greece. Since 1999, the talks have been led by Matthew Nimetz, who convened meetings between representatives of the two countries over a 19-year-period in New York, Skopje, Ohrid, Athens, Thessaloniki, Brussels, Geneva and Vienna.
The agreement announced this week should “lead to a period of enhanced relations between the two neighbouring countries and especially between their people,” says Nimetz.
Below is a timeline of the talks between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: