Greek PM warns ‘isolated’ Skopje over compliance with name deal

The Greek government will not seek ratification of the three cooperation memorandums signed with North Macedonia, concerning issues such as its EU accession process, until Skopje fully complies with the Prespa Agreement signed in 2018, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated on Wednesday.

“At this point, we will not pursue the ratification of the memorandums,” Mitsotakis said in an interview with Open TV on Wednesday morning. “Ratifying the memorandums now would give Skopje leverage,” he said.

“Our counterparts in North Macedonia need to recognize that the election period has ended. Skopje is isolated, not Greece. I believe they will adjust to the pressures they will face,” Mitsotakis said, while also sending a message to the leadership of the Balkan country “to take their responsibilities seriously and cease engaging in petty political maneuvers.”

“We do not conduct foreign policy with grandstanding. We are firm that the Prespa Agreement must be honored,” he said.

North Macedonia’s newly elected president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, has avoided using her country’s constitutional name, as stipulated in the Prespa accord, sparking a diplomatic dispute with Greece.