Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who had a fringe meeting within the session of the UN General Assembly in New York Thursday, agreed that Skopje and Athens should build mutual trust by sending positive messages and refrain from negative statements.

At the meeting, which is seen as a courtesy event devoid of any crucial discussions over the name issue, President Ivanov asked of Greece to refrain from radical statements in the service of the Greek local elections. Prime Minister Papandreou stressed this was a delicate period in which both parties should send positive messages concerning the name issue. The meeting took 20 minutes behind closed doors even though it had been previously said that at a Greek request it was to be held in the attendance of the Macedonian and Greek Foreign Ministers, Antonio Milososki and Dimitris Droutsas, too.

After Gruevski decided not to go to New York, the Ivanov-Papandreou meeting was arranged at Macedonia’s request. Minister Droutsas criticized Thursday the Macedonian prime minister’s refusal to come to New York.

“If all the time and energy that Skopje invests in creating misplaced impressions had been invested in seeking out a solution to the name issue, we would have been in a different situation now,” Droutsas said.

In the meantime, the Republic of Macedonia and the Syrian Arab Republic established diplomatic relations at an ambassador’s level in New York on Thursday during the 65th session of the UN General Assembly.

Foreign Minister Milososki and his Syrian counterpart Walid Al-Muallem signed the joint communiqué, which, in keeping with the UN protocol, will be distributed to all member states.

“The relations between the two countries, according to the communiqué, are going to develop in adherence with the principles of mutual respect, friendship, non-interference with the home affairs, and recognition of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the two countries. At the same time, this act creates more possibilities for cooperation between Syria and Macedonia in all areas of shared interest,” says the announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the talks of the two foreign ministers, it was said that the Syrian minister could visit the Republic of Macedonia in the course of next year.

The initiative for establishing diplomatic ties with Damask was launched in April 2007 during Minister Milososki’s official visit to Syria.

Syria is the 129th country that has officially recognized the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia.