The first visit of Defence Minister of Macedonia to the Defence Ministry today received Dimitris Avramopoulos . In Skopje Minister Talat Tzaferi greeted on the steps of Defence himself Avramopoulos , who but with terrible diplomatic maneuver cut from the welcoming ceremony the national anthem challenging FYROM talks about Macedonia , Aegean and other such irredentist . Thus in the admission of Mr. Tzaferi there was the customary inspection of contingent price performance ODT heard the national anthems of both countries . . During the meeting, the two ministers examined issues relating to cooperation between the two countries in the military field . In this context , we signed a one-year agreement on military cooperation at the level of General Staff of National Defence of Greece and FYROM, which provides , inter alia, conducting joint exercises and increase the number of students in their respective military academies . Recall that the military cooperation between the two countries has existed since 1999 . Macedonia had the command of Brigade SE Europe from September 2011 until August 2013 and 2014 has been the administration s initiative of NATO Partnership for Peace for SEE . In his statement the Minister of National Defence Dimitris Avramopoulos reiterated the consistent position of Greece to resolve the problem of the name , which divides the two countries . As said, the progress of the negotiations under the UN special coordinator Matthew Nimetz , to reach a mutually acceptable solution on the name of the neighboring country , will help solve the chronic problem in immediate and full normalization of bilateral relations , strengthening stability in the region, which passes through a shake , and serve the interests of Macedonia and Europe . The Greece , he added, has proposed a fair framework for a sustainable functional and straightforward solution , which leaves no room for unhistorical claims. Mr. Avramopoulos noted that respect for history and honesty in dealing with disputes were the starting point for stability and progress , as opposed to nationalism and populism that led to isolation , tension and crisis , and described Mr Tzaferi realist political neighboring country On his part , Talat Tzaferi expressed the wish to find a stable solution in the near future on the name issue and pave the path for countrys accession to Euro-Atlantic institutions . Moreover , he stressed that it carries messages of Greek terms in government and the citizens of his country. Mr. Tzaferi featured frank views on both sides, and expressed his satisfaction with the fact of establishing direct and continuous communication between the two ministries , irrespective of persons in their leadership . Finally , he thanked the Greek side for an official visit and sincere conversations.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 02:51:36 +0000