Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ relations with the leader of junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), Panos Kammenos, took a turn for the worse over the controversial Macedonia name-change deal known as the Prespa Agreement. In fresh statements over the weekend, Kammenos vowed to oppose the government’s agreement with Skopje “to the end”, adding that his […]
Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini reported that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg sent letters to Skopje and Athens urging the two governments to complete the ratification of the Prespa Agreement by February 15, so that Macedonia can join the alliance without further delay. According to the letter, NATO members agreed that the vote on the ratification of […]
Bujar Osmani, Vice-President of the Macedonian government responsible for European affairs, will travel to Athens on Thursday, November 1st, on the occasion of the establishment of a direct Athens-Skopje route by Aegean Airlines. Osmani, according to the news agency, will have a meeting with Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgios Katrougalos. Later on, the two […]
Newly-elected SYRIZA central committee secretary Panos Skourletis says it is not probable that junior coalition partner Independent Greeks and leader Panos Kammenos will change their view on the Prespa Agreement, but this should not undermine the Greek government coalition. In an interview with ANA-MPA, Skourletis says that Independent Greeks leader Kammenos would bear “great political responsibility” […]
Fresh protests against the name agreement will be staged in Athens and Thessaloniki on Sunday, MIA reports. The protests are organized by civil movements not familiar to the public – Movement for national defense and Macedonia-Alexander the Great, and Scientific committee for national issues. “Greece means Macedonia. All Greeks at Syntagma square to defend our […]
Ambassador Dimitris Yannakakis said Wednesday that Greece supports Macedonia in EU and NATO based on the Prespa agreement, adding that everything is now in the hands of member-states. “This country aspires to become a member of the EU and NATO. Based on the Prespa agreement, Greece supports these efforts but the accession does not depend […]
At the invitation of his Skopje counterpart Petre Silegov, Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis will visit Skopje on Friday to attend events commemorating the 1963 Skopje earthquake, MIA’s Athens correspondent reports. “Giorgos Kaminis, the Mayor of Athens, will pay a visit to Skopje on Friday, June 22, at the invitation of the Mayor of Skopje Petre […]
The MP from SYRIZA, Georgios Oursouzidis, addressed the Greek Parliament in Macedonian, that is, the Kostur dialect. He gave support to the agreement between Macedonia and Greece for resolving the name dispute. Oursouzidis, who originates from northern Greece, after the message was given from the rostrum in Macedonian language, that is, in the Kostur dialect, he […]
Greek lawmakers entered the third and final day of debate Saturday on a no-confidence motion against the government over a deal to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Macedonia over the latter’s name, AP reported. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ left-led coalition government is expected to survive the vote, set for later in the day. His government controls […]
Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has ordered the declassification of some 30 confidential documents in connection to the name negotiations before reveling them Saturday at a debate in Parliament, Greek media report citing government sources. The information hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. The documents will reportedly shine a light on how former Greek administrations had negotiated, what they […]
Alexis Tsipras spoke of a “good deal” that “covers all conditions we had set” during his meeting with the President of Greece, Prokopis Pavlopoulos whom he visited at the Presidential Mansion. He met the President joined by the Minister of State & Government Spokesperson, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos and the General Secretary of the PM, Ioanna Pepe. “I am […]
The telephone conversation waiting to happen between prime ministers Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras has been at the focus of the media in Macedonia. Asked by IBNA about the telephone conversation, the government said that consultations continue and that every new development will be made transparent. PM Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimotrov have […]
The Greek Foreign Affairs minister Nikos Kotzias had to rush to the prime minister’s office at 11:00 a.m, at Maximos Mansion after his phone contact with Alexis Tsipras. The unexpected invite to the Greek FM -this being said it must be mentioned there was no planned meeting for today among the two top governmental officials- […]
Photos from Strumica published Sunday on social networks by PM Zoran Zaev and FM Nikola Dimitrov were interpreted as message from Skopje to Athens, Greek media report. “Symbolic photo and message by Zaev and Dimitrov to Athens: On the same line;” “Zaev-Dimitrov: On the same line and on a joint holiday;” “Zaev tweed about his […]
Greek Minister without Portfolio Alekos Flambouraris in an interview with Sunday’s edition of ‘Ethnos’ daily calls on the Independent Greeks, junior partner of the government coalition, to not hamper the great opportunity for settling Athens-Skopje name dispute and clearly take into consideration the interest of the country. ‘I personally call on the Independent Greeks to […]
The ball is in the neighbor’s court and we are waiting for them to make the decisive step towards a solution, says Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos in an interview with Greek TV station Kontra. “We expect the political leadership of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to make the decisive step so that we […]
A little less than half of respondents (48.3%) agree that the Greek government should work towards a solution in the name issue, show results of the public opinion survey by agency Rass for the Greek TV station Action24. Asked if they agree with the opinion that the conditions for settlement of the name issue are […]
If I have political responsibility, name dispute will be resolved when I consider that the solution will serve the national interests, Greek opposition New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis told private broadcaster Skai in an interview on Sunday when asked what would be his steps if elected Prime Minister in case name negotiations fail. “We have lived […]
The two issues that remain for an agreement are the erga omnes application of the name decided and a revision of that country’s Constitution, stated Alternate Foreign Minister responsible for European Affairs George Katrougalos, talking to the Greek News Agency radio station “Praktoreio,” ANA-MPA reports. “These are issues that are not minor, which FYROM has […]
The foreign ministers of Macedonia and Greece and the UN name envoy, Matthew Nimetz, will hold a fresh meeting on May 12 in Athens, MIA’s Athens correspondent has learned. Ministers Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias will meet with the UN mediator a day after the conference slated to take place next Friday in Sounio, Greece. Speaking at a news […]
