Matthew Nimitz called on North Macedonia and Greece to respect the Prespa Agreement

"Respect the Prespa agreement, do not live in illusions, we live in dangerous times."
This appeal was made by Matthew Nimitz to the participants of the conference devoted to the agreement, which is being held in Athens.
The former prime ministers of North Macedonia and Greece, Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras, whose foundations initiated the conference, presented Nimitz with the "Prespa" peace prize.
He thanked for the award and said he had to share it with everyone who supported him to stay involved in the process.
"The peoples of the two countries who accepted and ratified the Prespa decision deserve special thanks. The Prespa agreement is a serious agreement for both countries, for the region and beyond. It is a compromise option. It is difficult to achieve, but all major deals are compromises . But imagine what life would be like without these agreements and compromises. That's why my message is this: Keep the agreement, live in dangerous times, and I urge everyone to follow it and fulfill it," Nimitz said.
The video message of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was also broadcast at the award ceremony. He stated that "six years ago, the peoples of Greece and North Macedonia, led by their Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, united to help remove a long-standing obstacle to a future of peace and stable development."
"The Prespa agreement is a testament to the power of diplomacy, dialogue and compromise. I want to acknowledge the dedication of my personal delegate at the time, Matthew Nimitz. The agreement not only resolves the name dispute, but also opens up the potential for new opportunities," Guterres said.
He added that all affected by the Prespa Agreement must find a way to respect the principles that led to this vital achievement.
The Treaty of Prespa was signed today in 2018. It resolved the name dispute and then Macedonia became a member of NATO. After the signing of this agreement, Greece lifted the blockade. For many years, Nimitz met with the degestation of the two countries to overcome the dispute.
BGNES reminds that the Prespa Treaty was signed on June 17, 2018 in the village of Nivitsi on the shore of the Great Prespa Lake. The agreement was concluded by the foreign ministers of both countries, Nikos Kodzias and Nikola Dimitrov, in the presence of Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev. The agreement ended the long-standing dispute over the name of the Republic of Macedonia between the authorities in Skopje and Athens.
The signing was attended by UN Special Representative Matthew Nimitz, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn. | BGNES