Following the series of meetings he held with the Macedonian state leadership in Skopje on Thursday, the Greek Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the EU, Evangelos Venizelos, left Macedonia with the impression that the Macedonian Government and society were willing to participate in a dialogue not only over the name issue but over promoting bilateral cooperation further.

“My personal impression following my 2-day meetings here is that the Government, the political authorities and the civil society are ready to participate in a dialogue not only over the name issue but also over promoting further bilateral cooperation because all here know that the way to the EU passes through Greece,” he said.

At the press conference he held at the EU Info Center on Thursday afternoon, Minister Venizelos said that he was not in Macedonia solely as a representative of a country holding the Presidency of the EU but also as a minister in the Greek Government.