Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski invited his Greek counterpart George Papandreou to a meeting in Macedonia or some other place. The meeting would aim to promote the bilateral relations and the efforts for resolving the only open issue between the two countries, the name issue. Gruevski’s office said that after sending the written invitation, the Macedonian prime minister also talked to Papandreou on the phone Wednesday in order to propel the process of seeking out a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, too, hopes for a meeting with his Greek counterpart Karolos Papoulias, who was reelected Wednesday. Ivanov was one of the first presidents that sent Papoulias a greeting congratulating him on the reelection, expressing willingness for sincere cooperation and a hope for a meeting soon. However, the chances for a meeting of the two presidents are currently slim considering that Papoulias, following Ivanov’s invitation, said that he would meet him only after the name issue was resolved.