ATHENS IRKED BY LATEST ROUND OF NAME
National.
The latest round of talks on name differences between Skopje and Athens failed to bring any progress and increased Greece's diplomatic solitude, Greek media said on Tuesday.
The comments came after Monday's meeting of negotiators of both countries, held in Ohrid.
There was no breakthrough emerging from the new round of negotiations between Athens and Skopje, brokered by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz. The talks reconfirmed Skopje's tenacity, Eleftheros Typos daily said.
The same source says Greece rejected Macedonia's proposals for normalization of bilateral ties and signing of a treaty on friendship and cooperation, "with an American seal and welcomed by Nimetz.
Greek negotiator made clear that name solution is the sole condition for good neighborly relations and confidence building, Eleftheros Typos said.
In the headline "UN hope for continuation of name talks", Kathimerini daily says the UN mediator praised diplomats from Greece and Macedonia for their constructive approach to talks in Ohrid despite the apparent lack of progress.
The meeting in Ohrid was “one of the best meetings in terms of straight talks,” Nimetz said after mediating the discussion.
The paper says Macedonian side praised the Ohrid meeting, saying it was a step forward, but there were negative comments too. "The only new thing is the connection of the name issue to my country’s bid to join international organizations, which simply complicates negotiations," Macedonian negotiator Nikola Dimitrov said.
[MakFax]
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