Deputy prime minister of Greece expressed interest to boost bilateral economic ties with Macedonia on Wednesday despite the row between the two countries over the use of the name Macedonia.

After talks with his Macedonian counterpart Teuta Arifi, the first Macedonian official to visit Athens in seven years, Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos reiterated Greece's willingness to strengthen cross-border cooperation with Macedonia in economy and other sectors.

But on top of their agenda was Macedonia's request for Greece's support for the country's accession to the European Union (UN) in 2014, Arifi said at a joint press conference after the meeting.

The two neighboring countries have been involved in a 20-year name dispute. Greece is opposed to the use of the name of Macedonia by its northern neighbor, saying that it implies it has territorial claims to Greece's northern province of the same name.

The two officials avoided comments on the dispute. But according to diplomatic sources, Arifi handed over to Pangalos a letter from Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to his Greek counterpart Lucas Papademos, asking for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss the issue.

Noting that the building of good relations requires direct high-level dialogue to resolve open issues in the mutual interest, Gruevski called for a meeting with Papademos in Athens, Skopje or another place, local media reported.

Gruevski expressed confidence that such a move would send a positive signal for the ongoing talks on the name dispute under the auspices of the UN, according to the reports.