Merkel urges Greece and Macedonia to compromise on name dispute

Feb 14, 2012, 15:49 GMT

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday urged Greece and Macedonia to reach a compromise over their long-standing name dispute as she offered support for Macedonia's drive to join NATO and the European Union.

Speaking after talks with Merkel in Berlin, visiting Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said after talks with Merkel in Berlin that Skopje would request admission to the NATO alliance at the alliance's summit in Chicago in May. In April 2008, Greece vetoed Macedonia's bid.

Merkel said Athens and Skopje should negotiate a way out of the dispute about the right to the name 'Macedonia.'

'The name issue has to be settled,' she said. 'That is why I would definitely keep negotiating with Greece and trying to find a solution. In the European Union we are all used to making compromises. Otherwise the EU would never survive.'

Athens has been at loggerheads with its northern neighbour since 1991, when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. The smaller state is often referred to as 'The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,' or FYROM.

The Greeks charge that its use of the name Macedonia implies territorial claims on Greece's northern province of Macedonia.

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