Nimetz: New impetus in efforts to solve name issue

The name issue is high on the agenda of the government in Skopje and there is a new impetus in the efforts over its settlement, says United Nations Envoy Matthew Nimetz.


"The government in Skopje is eager to reactivate its foreign policy in the region and obviously the name issue is an important impediment to the path to European integration, to NATO membership. So this is a high issue on their agenda and I think therefore there is a new impetus", Nimetz says in an interview with the Independent Balkan News Agency (IBNA).

Regarding the next steps, Nimetz says he visited Skopje and talked to Greek FM Nikos Kotzias and announced he would be in touch with the parties in the coming months towards development of a new game plan for moving forward.

When asked if there are any proposals about the name, Nimetz says he made no proposals.
"There have been proposals in the past and I think right now it’s a time for talking about some basic concepts before we get down to proposals", he adds.