Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said his country is prepared for "a reasonable compromise" with Greece over the long-running name dispute, news reaching here from Skopje reported on Friday.
"Macedonia is prepared for a reasonable compromise that will not endanger our language identity, our dignity and the right for national self-determination," Milososki told the daily newspaper Dnevnik, published on Friday.
"But we will not accept dictate imposed by Athens," Milososki said.
Macedonia and Greece have been at loggerheads over the name issue for the past 17 years since Macedonia gained its independence from former Yugoslavia in 1991.
Athens has been opposed to its neighbor being called the "Republic of Macedonia", arguing it implies a territorial claim over a Greek northern province also called Macedonia.
The dispute came to a head in April, when Greece vetoed Macedonia's bid to get invitation to join NATO at the alliance's summit in Bucharest, capital of Romania.
Athens has threatened to use its veto power again to block Macedonia's access to the European Union, should the dispute remain unsettled.
Milososki said that Macedonia will continue to work to fulfill all criteria necessary for the country's integration into the EU, but added that he would not be surprised if by the end of this year Athens uses its veto power against Macedonia.
Source: Xinhua
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