Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he wants to hold a referendum on a new name for the country in September or October, as talks with Greece over a decades-old naming dispute reach the “final stage.”

In a press conference on Wednesday marking his government’s first year in office, Zaev told reporters in Skopje he is expecting a phone call from Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras by “Friday at the latest,” after which Zaev expects a “breakthrough in the talks.”

The two countries have been working to resolve a debate on Macedonia’s name which has seen Greece block the country’s NATO and EU membership bids. Speaking at a news conference marking one year since he took office, Zoran Zaev said Wednesday that Skopje and Athens have never been closer to reaching an agreement over Macedonia's name, which has been the subject of a decades-long dispute. Zaev did not disclose published information on the steps to be taken if an agreement on the name dispute is reached in terms of obtaining an EU membership date, an invitation to join NATO and a referendum on which citizens will have to say the final word on the agreement with Greece. Talks to end Greece-Macedonia name dispute near final stage

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia say they have concluded the main round of negotiations to end a long-standing dispute over the Macedonia name, with the final stage of talks to be led by the countries' prime ministers.
According to Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, talks with Greece on Macedonia's name are in a final phase. Zaev says that if a compromise name for the country is agreed upon, it will be put to a referendum.