Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said he doesn't expect Friday's meeting with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to solve the 18-year-old problems, however, he expects dialogue and exchange of views that would contribute to improving the overall atmosphere in both countries.
Gruevski made the remarks Wednesday, two days ahead of the meeting with his Greek counterpart Papandreou in Greek part of Prespa.
Gruevski reiterated that Macedonia is doing everything in its power to ensure that the name dispute be resolved, but now the country has been put in situation in which the resolution of the dispute depends not only on Macedonia but also on somebody else.
"Our country fulfilled the required standards, reforms and criteria, and we will proceed with the same commitments in the future. Unfortunately, now we are in situation when things depend on somebody else, and nobody could guarantee the outcome. We will do our outmost to convince the other side that it is important that we solve the problem together. Nonetheless, I cannot guarantee that the other side would do so," Gruevski said.
The prime minister reiterated the country's position regarding the name, adding that the stance has been repeated on many occasions. The same stance could be seen in the VMRO-DPMNE's election programme.
Gruevski cautioned that somebody is trying to raise the expectations from Friday's meeting. Officially, the two prime ministers will meet on the sidelines of a regional meeting on climate change to discuss issues related to both countries.