Athens asks EU official to stop ‘undermining’ FYROM talks

As diplomats from Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) prepare to resume talks in Vienna on Wednesday, European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Tuesday expressed optimism that the dispute could be resolved in the next two weeks.

“I am optimistic that in the next two weeks we will have a solution. At least a solution that will open the way for the beginning of accession talks with FYROM,” he reportedly told the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“I think everyone agrees that this would be useful for the country, for society and the whole region of the Western Balkans,” he added.

FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev remarked later that such a swift solution would be welcome though he did not expect it.

“I would like it very much but I don’t think it’s possible,” he said.

The Greek Foreign Ministry, for its part, issued a terse statement, describing Hahn’s comments as “unfortunate” and asking him to “stop undermining” the negotiations.