by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his counterpart in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Zoran Zaev will meet in Sofia next Thursday, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in the name dispute Matthew Nimetz announced on Saturday.
According to Greek national news agency AMNA, the two leaders will hold talks on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans Summit, Nimetz said after a six-hour meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov in Sounion that took place 75 km southeast of Athens.
It was the fourth times within a few months the three men met trying to hammer out a solution to the longstanding name row between the two neighboring countries.
The two foreign ministers did "hard, intensive and good work" to prepare the meeting between the prime ministers, the UN special envoy said.
Dimitrov visited Greece to attend a regional ministerial meeting which was held at Sounion on Friday on EU's enlargement and cooperation across the continent.
UN mediated efforts have intensified in recent months in order to resolve the row, which started in 1991 when FYROM declared independence from Yugoslavia and chose the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province.
Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.
All sides have expressed confidence lately that FYROM and Greece can strike an agreement on FYROM's new name in the coming weeks before the EU summit scheduled for late June when EU enlargement will be on the agenda.