by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Mayor of Athens Yorgos Kaminis welcomed his Skopje counterpart Petre Silegov on Friday to make efforts to promote cooperation between the two cities amidst the lasting name dispute between their respective countries.

The meeting at City Hall in the Greek capital was held during ongoing UN-mediated talks between the central governments of Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) that aim to resolve the name row.

The discord between the two neighbors started when FYROM declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and chose the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province.

Greece is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.

All sides in recent months have expressed optimism that the issued could be resolved even as early as within the first half of 2018.

"We are in favor of a fair and sustainable solution to the name dispute," Kaminis said during joint statements to media following talks with Silegov.

The Greek mayor urged both governments to show willingness and pragmatism and strike an agreement which will be mutually beneficial for the two neighboring people, Athens municipal radio 9.84 reported.

Although the agenda of discussions on Friday did not include the name dispute, cooperation on social policy matters, climate change, digital strategy and urban development were the talking points, and both officials conveyed a message of friendship and collaboration for a better future.

Silegov also underlined the need to build bridges of cooperation to exchange know-how and experiences to offer solutions.

The two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding launching cooperation in the fields of social policy, urban development and digital strategy when Kaminis pays a visit to Skopje later this year, it was announced.