Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has said he is "optimistic" that Skopje and Athens can reach a solution to the name dispute before NATO's summit in Brussels in July, however he has once more resisted Greek demands for changes to the Balkan state's constitution.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has urged the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to resolve a long-standing naming dispute with neighboring Greece so the country can open membership talks with the European Union.

Born in Celje in 1950, Drnovšek, holder of a PhD in economics with a career in banking, was catapulted to the political scene in 1989, when he was elected the Slovenian representative to the Yugoslav collective presidency at a time of mounting tensions in the former republic.

Even though the leftist-led government has publicly sought to downplay the significance of Sunday's "Macedonia" demonstration in Athens, several party officials have reportedly acknowledged in private conversations that its sheer size is simply too hard to ignore.

A UN special envoy urged Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Tuesday to seize on momentum in talks to resolve a name dispute straining relations for a quarter of a century, saying the two sides now appeared "energized" to reach an accord.

A coalition campaigning for the establishment of the RECOM regional fact-finding commission on the 1990s wars said ex-Yugoslav states could sign an agreement committing their support in July.

If Athens wants to really focus on the biggest strategic threat that it faces, it should wrap up its negotiations with Skopje and reach an agreement on the new name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as soon as possible.

Greece and Macedonia return to the United Nations on Jan. 17 seeking to end a dispute that has raged for 27 years over the former Yugoslav republic’s name.

Political developments in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece have created "a window of opportunity" to resolve the name dispute between the two Balkan neighbors, Greek alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos has said.

The citizens of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are split along ethnic lines with regard to the change of the neighboring country's constitutional name in order to reach an agreement with Greece and secure NATO membership, a local poll has shown, with 49 percent of people rejecting any name change.