Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the "road to Europe and progress" for North Macedonia goes through Athens and could be interrupted.
He also called the position of the newly elected president of North Macedonia, Gordana Silyanovska-Davkova, "illegal and provocative", ERT reported.
The Greek PM urged his country should use the "authenticity and quality of its Macedonian products and services" to launch a trade counter-offensive to accompany its diplomatic response.
On May 12, President-elect Silyanovska sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries after he referred to his country as "Macedonia" rather than North Macedonia during his swearing-in ceremony, in violation of the 2018 Prespa agreement signed between Athens and Skopje that settled the name dispute.
In his speech at the General Assembly of the Association of Greek Exporters (SEVE), Mitsotakis also referred to the "Greater Macedonia" trademark for Greek products, advertised in November 2019.
"It took us some time to register the trademark, but we are on the right track. This is a move that is gaining relevance after the recent provocative regressions of our northern neighbours. Our diplomatic reaction must be accompanied by a commercial counter-attack, above all with the authenticity and quality of the products and services of our Macedonia. This is in your hands and we must achieve it together," the Greek Prime Minister told the audience. /BGNES
