Greece, Macedonia in ‘essential’ talks on name dispute

The Macedonian and Greek foreign ministers say the two countries have entered into “essential” negotiations to resolve a decades-long dispute over the former Yugoslav republic’s name. Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias said Friday in the Macedonian capital Skopje that a solution was needed as an “investment for the future.” Greece’s foreign minister will also be meeting Macedonia’s prime minister and opposition leaders before returning to Athens later on Friday, AP reports. The two countries have been at odds for a quarter-century over the name “Macedonia,” which Greece claims harbors territorial aspirations on its own northern province of the same name. The dispute has prevented Macedonia from joining NATO and the European Union.