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Speaking to the press alongside his counterpart Nikola Poposki, Erjavec said Slovenia was of the opinion that Macedonia fulfils all criteria for NATO membership, according to Macedonian press agency MIA.

"I hope Macedonia and Greece find a common solution to the name dispute in order to accelerate Macedonia's accession to NATO," Erjavec was quoted as saying.

Noting that Slovenia has had a similar experience with Croatia, Erjavec explained that "dialogue, good will and a lot of energy allowed us to arrive at a solution acceptable to both sides."

Poposki and Erjavec also discussed the strengthening of economic cooperation, and explored potential to increase trade.