Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a stern message to the state of North Macedonia, warning that if the small Balkan country continued to adopt the use of the term “Macedonia” in violation of the bilateral Prespa Agreement its path to the EU would be negatively affected.
Speaking after the conclusion of the European Council Summit in Brussels the Prime Minister addressed the ongoing provocations from the new president and prime minister of the neighboring country.
“I made it absolutely clear that if Skopje persists in this line, they will make any process of immediate convergence with the European family extremely difficult—if not practically null and void.”
The Greek PM continued saying he had informed his colleagues at the European Council about the developments in North Macedonia, about the fact that both the president and the designated prime minister are essentially directly violating the Prespa Agreement, ignoring the erga omnes principle and choosing to use a name other than the constitutionally designated name of the country for internal use, which completely contradicts the spirit of the Prespa Agreement.
“I believe everyone should understand the consequences of their actions and know that compliance with the European acquis obviously involves faithfully adhering to international agreements that have been signed, in this case, by both parties,” the Greek Premier added.
Mitsotakis went on to also address the detention of Fredi Beleri and the problem it creates for the elected MEP concerning his swearing-in ceremony.
“We had the opportunity to discuss this issue at the meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP) because the President of the European Parliament, Ms. Metsola, was present,” Greek PM Mitsotakis pointed out.
The Greek PM said he considered it self-evident that Beleri would be in Strasbourg to officially assume his duties as an MEP and by extension partake in the “critically important vote for the election of the next president of the European Commission”.
