We will not accept any voluntary interpretation of the Prespa Agreement prior to its ratification, said Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos at a meeting with Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor, MIA reports from Athens. “We are not prepared to accept voluntary interpretations of the Prespa Agreement, even more when they radiate with irredentism, prior to its ratification. […]
A 36-year old man has confessed to removing border stone markers along the border between Macedonia and Greece, police say Thursday. “The regional border affairs center has investigated the incident that took place on November 23, when an unknown individual from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. had damaged and removed border markers,” stated the Interior Ministry. […]
Local media reported on Monday that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is thought to be contemplating calling a snap election in March 2019. The government is reportedly rattled by latest opinion polls showing New Democracy well ahead of SYRIZA. With this in mind, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is also reportedly being advised to carry out […]
“I want to send a message to our neighbors who these days are focused on their processes to initiate constitutional changes, change of their constitutional name as foreseen in the Prespa Agreement. I encourage them to proceed with determination and courage because there will be no other opportunity. I will say it here once […]
Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias submitted his resignation Wednesday, a day after a tense cabinet meeting during which he clashed with Defence Minister Panos Kammenos over the Prespa Agreement. According to sources, Kotzias was disgruntled over the fact that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras failed to support him against attacks from Kammenos, who is also junior […]
Panos Kammenos’s initiatives during his recent trip to the United States and the turbulence he has caused in the political scene of Greece and inside the government coalition have also been the focus of the Council of Ministers. According to IBNA’s exclusive information, Greece’s premier Alexis Tsipras said at the meeting he had convened the Cabinet due […]
Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos has proposed that countries in the region should sign security agreements to solve regional problems and ensure regional stability. Following his recent meeting with U. S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Washington, Kammenos told the press that the United States, by putting trust in the Greek army, government and […]
Macedonia’s army soldiers have opened fire in the air near the border with Greece in order to prevent the illegal entry of foreign refugees into the country. “While patrolling on the border area of Gevgelija, soldiers have noticed a group of refugees who were attempting to cross the border illegally. Complying with the protocol, soldiers […]
Macedonia doesn’t need to hold elections – unless absolutely necessary, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in an interview with Euronews Greece, explaining that MPs were currently consulting with each other. PM Zaev insisted the country would hold elections only after all options to reach a two-thirds majority in Parliament had been exhausted. He then called […]
We will not allow our Macedonia to be sold. I have always said that we cannot give Skopje the name Macedonia, because from that moment on they will officially be called Macedonians, not Northmacedonians or Uppermacedonians, says former Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras. “The Prespa Agreement officially gives the Skopians name Macedonia, the nationality, the […]
The Greek government closely follows what is happening in the neighboring country and supports efforts made to press ahead with the process, because it would be a waste if this chance were to be lost, says government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos. “There are political options that can be realized by Mr. Zaev, which might allow a constitutional […]
The referendum is not a condition or legal requirement for implementation of the Prespa Agreement, but a choice made by Skopje, says Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias in an interview with Greek national TV station ERT following Sunday’s referendum in Macedonia. Kotzias says President Gjorge Ivanov and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev were elected to the […]
On our part, we will continue to support the great efforts of Mr. Zaev, we will continue to support the need for preserving the momentum of the Prespa Agreement, because we believe it is a waste to miss this chance to solve an issue plaguing the Balkans for nearly 30 years, said a Greek spokesman […]
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said his government will survive the ratification of the Macedonia name-change deal even if junior partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) decided to quit the coalition. “I think my government will survive, but I don’t know if my coalition will survive, but this is […]
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that Greece has “turned the page” after eight years of austerity and economic depression during his speech at the annual Concordia Summit in New York. Referring to the Prespa agreement between Greece and Macedonia, he said that it would help make the Balkans “a region of peace and stability.” Tsipras […]
Dimitrios Papadimoulis is Vice president of the European Parliament from the ranks of SYRIZA. As a member of the Joint Committee of Macedonia and the EU, he is currently staying in Macedonia. He is convinced that the Prespa agreement will be adopted in Greece and that this agreement is a typical example of the strong […]
The leader of Greece’s junior coalition party, Panos Kammenos, reiterated on Tuesday his MPs would not support a name deal with the Republic of Macedonia if it comes to parliament for a vote. “If this agreement reaches the point of coming to Greece’s Parliament we don’t have the popular mandate to continue to stay in […]
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras referred Monday in his address at the European Parliament to the diplomatic achievements of his government in the region, calling the Prespa Agreement “the highlight of our efforts”. “Together with Prime Minister Zaev we have managed to reach a mutually acceptable solution without the use of force but diplomacy and […]
I think the Prespa Agreement is a good and fair deal, university professor Marilena Koppa writes in a column for the Greek daily Efimerida ton sidakton. “The agreement closes the 26-year dispute and neither side is defeated or humiliated. Both sides win in the area they deem important: Greece the name, which effectively separates the […]
The Greek opposition party New Democracy will not vote ‘for’ the Prespa Agreement, says Dora Bakoyannis, former Greek Foreign Minister and now MP of the opposition party, in an interview with a local radio. The New Democracy leader and members have on several occasions voiced their objection to Skopje-Athens name deal, saying they will not […]
