The Balkan policy of our country was at the center of an interview of the Minister of State, Makis Voridis, on the TV station SKAI

Regarding relations with North Macedonia, Mr. Voridis recalled the positions of New Democracy in the past, specifically that it voted against the Prespa Agreement. Also, that he had said that from the moment the Agreement is voted in the Parliament and drawn up by the other party, this Agreement is international and binding. Even that the ND had clarified how it would implement it, which “we had said before the elections”.

Regarding the recent statements of the President and the acting Prime Minister of North Macedonia, the Greek minister, after calling them “unacceptable”, clarified that they “do not change the legal reality”.

“We have wisely not ratified the memoranda. Wisely. Because this is a key lever of pressure for faithful implementation of the Agreement with an internal mechanism that does not exist within the Agreement. Being able to have negotiating power in your hands, that’s very important and luckily the prime minister didn’t do that. He is absolutely justified now”, said the Minister of State and added:

“The impressive thing is that SYRIZA comes now, which has burdened us with this Agreement, and says, “let’s go now, at this time, to ratify the memoranda”. Now, when others say they don’t like the name. The negotiating weapon we have in our hands, let’s go and give it. This really (which) surpasses me (is) about the perception they (including the official opposition) have of foreign policy”.

However, M. Voridis also attacked the “patriots of the sofa” or the “supposedly nationalist opposition”. Which, according to the Minister of State, comes and says: “Let’s go now and expose ourselves internationally by complaining.”

Consequently, he concluded, “here (where) a political issue has been opened, which primarily and mainly concerns Skopje, we make both mistakes. Either – on the one hand – we should give whatever negotiating weapon we have – that’s what SYRIZA tells us – or – on the other hand – we should go on our own and take action and denounce”.

To the question, whether the Agreement was a discount, Mr. Voridis answered: “Specific opinions were heard in this regard as well. Don’t go to the dialogue at that time, because it has already taken place.” In any case, he added, “it is unacceptable to say that we have changed our position. The positions were formulated, and not post-election in 2019, but pre-election.”

On the occasion of the issue, Beleri noted: “I don’t know how the Left perceives it, in the Western Balkans, Greece has a leading role objectively.”

After repeating that Fr. was imprisoned in violation of the rule of law. Beleris, the Minister of State emphasized: “We did everything we could, we excluded Rama from the Balkan consultations, we internationalized the issue, the European People’s Party took a resolution.”

Finally, he emphasized that nobody knows the rights of the Greek minority in Albania better than Fr. Beleris, who – as Mr. Voridis pointed out – is a “candidate on the ND ballot. I did not see the elected mayor Heimarras in SYRIZA, he is in ND”.