Macedonia urges Greece to solve name issue

SKOPJE, Macedonia, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A Macedonian Cabinet minister urged Greece to resolve the Macedonia name issue as soon as possible, reports said Wednesday.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milosovski, in the capital Skopje commenting on reports Macedonia and Greece are to resume talks Nov. 1 in New York, told reporters he would defend his country’s right to its national name and identity, the Serbian news agency Beta reported.

Milosovski said Macedonia and Greece should resolve the name dispute before a NATO summit planned for April in Bucharest, Romania.

Macedonia is the name of a northern Greek region and Athens says the Skopje government, to avoid implications of possible territorial claims, should use the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as it is recognized by the United Nations.

Macedonia and its southern neighbor Greece have disputed the name since 1991, when the Skopje government was internationally recognized.