Berlin urges Athens and Skopje to wrap up name dispute

On Tuesday, Nikos Kotzias will meet with his German counterpart, Haiko Maas, in Berlin. The FYROM name is one of the issues to be discussed, according to the German Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Adebar.

Asked about Berlin's expectations for resolving the issue, Adebar responded, according to AMNA:

"We are listening to the good news that we hear about the talks, and we welcome the fact that Greece and FYROM are obviously approaching each other in this open issue of the name. The German government calls on both Athens and Skopje to solve the latest issues now. (To exploit) what could be a historic opportunity, namely to resolve this name dispute. Because we believe that resolving this conflict would have a truly positive impact both on bilateral relations and on the stability of the whole region. This is why we are watching the talks with great care ".

The spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry did not want to speculate whether there will be a solution before the EU and NATO Summits. But she appreciated that this is a question that Haiko Maas will put to Nikos Kotzias.

At the meeting, according to Adebar, there will also be questions about the state of bilateral relations, which "are developing very well" and for which "Mr Kotzias is very active". In this context, the programs are part of the Action Plan agreed in 2016, the spokesman said, adding that the agenda would still include international issues such as Syria and Iran, as well as transatlantic relations.

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