Will this be the name of Macedonia in the future? This is one of the options, a proposal for the new name of the state by the end of January

Greek media, referring to the sources from the Greek government, report that the name "Republic of New Macedonia" is acceptable for both sides

Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia for European Affairs Bujar Osmani said in Athens today that a specific proposal for solving the name issue will be made in late January. 

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- Now is not the time to discuss the proposal (names for Macedonia), but at the end of the month there will be a concrete proposal and then we will take a stand - he said after a meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kocijas, the Macedonian media reported.

Greek media, referring to the sources from the Greek government, report that the name "Republic of New Macedonia" is acceptable for both sides. 

At a yesterday's session of the Greek government, Kocijas said that a complex name with a geographical indication was acceptable for general use for Athens.

Osmani said at a meeting with Kocijas that "2018 represents a historic chance to overcome the misunderstanding over the use of the name of Macedonia" and that as politicians they have an obligation to show maturity and not miss this opportunity, the cabinet of the Macedonian deputy prime minister announced.

- There is a clear optimism in Macedonia for closing this issue - Osmani said, expressing hope that, together with positive signals coming from Greece, the issue will be solved.

Macedonia's European integration and NATO accession have been blocking the two-decade-long dispute that Skopje has with Greece over its constitutional name, which is the same as the name of its northern Greek province.

(Telegraf.co.uk / Beta)