The name issue is high on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s agenda and she is making effort to make sure this issue is resolved because in fact this issue is not just about the name but also about the stability of the country and the whole region, said Christoph Heusgen, Chancellor Merkel’s closest foreign policy associate, at the first conference of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin only a few days prior to Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ meeting with Chancellor Merkel on Friday, Deutsche Welle reports.

“In fact, this is not just about the name, but also about the stability of the country and the region. In early 2001, the country faced a civil war and interethnic tension, which has not yet been fully overcome. Therefore, the resolution of the name issue is going to help avoid violence because the country will also become a NATO member state. You can rest assured that this issue is high on our agenda although perhaps it does not seem so. In a brief break from the coalition negotiations, the Chancellor met UN-appointed name dispute negotiator Matthew Nimetz, too. This should be a sign to the countries that we keep this subject high on our agenda,” Heusgen, chief of the department for foreign, security and development policy of the German Government, said.