Mitsotakis: North Macedonia should not cross Greece's red lines

Our friends in North Macedonia must understand that the pre-election period is over. The time has come to get serious and respect the Prespa agreement if they are interested in staying on the European path.

This is what Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with the Greek television "Open".

"When we have problems, for example with our northern neighbors, we solve them seriously. We clearly set red lines and insist that the Prespa Agreement is respected, even though we did not agree with many aspects of it. On the issue of the name, we will by no means give up. The name of the country is 'North Macedonia' and as long as some continue to call it 'Republic of Macedonia', know that we will be against them," Mitsotakis stressed.

BGNES reminds that during her swearing-in ceremony on May 12, the new North Macedonian president Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova used only the name "Macedonia" instead of the official name - the Republic of North Macedonia. This caused a strong reaction in Athens.

"The authorities in Skopje must realize that this policy will lead them to international isolation," the Greek prime minister said.

Mitsotakis recalled the international reactions immediately after Siljanovska's inauguration.

At this point, Greece is not alone. Greece is not isolated, Skopje is isolated.

"Eventually they will understand that this policy is unpromising. We want good relations with our northern neighbor," the Greek prime minister added. / BGNES