(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-18 10:14

TIRANA -- Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski said on Thursday his country is prepared to make "certain compromise" to Greece on name dispute in order to get invited into NATO.

"Macedonia is ready for the sake of the future of this country to pay a certain price, but not prepared to pay any kind of price," Crvenkovski said after meeting his visiting German counterpart Horst Koehler.

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Macedonia's NATO membership was blocked by Greece over a 17-year-long name dispute between the two countries early this month at a NATO summit in Romanian capital of Bucharest.

Athens opposes its neighbor's constitutional name of "The Republic of Macedonia", arguing it implies a territorial claim over a Greek northern province also called Macedonia.

Crvenkovski stressed that he is optimistic that a solution can be found if all parties involved in the process show the same political will towards the name issue, news reaching here from Skopje reported.

The president said Macedonia, despite the early parliamentary polls set for June 1, would continue to take an active part in the negotiations, hoping to get a mutually accepted solution in a shorter time.

"It is wrong to think that Macedonia can wait for five, ten or two decades to resolve this issue to achieve a more favorable end for us. We always come cross Greece on other issues," Crvenkovski said.

Koehler, who is on a two-day official visit to Skopje, expressed Germany's regret at the block by Greece of Macedonia's NATO bid, calling on Greece to show constructiveness in settling the name dispute.

"Europe is especially interested in getting the problem resolved, because it's also in the interest of Europe," Koehler said after the talk.

Koehler reiterated that Germany supports Macedonia's EU and NATO integration aspirations, saying the western Balkan country was moving in the right direction.

"For Europe it is important for the country to become a part of NATO and EU, but Macedonia needs to make additional efforts in order to reach that goal," said the German president.