Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras expressed his emotion for the “historic moments” he shared with his counterpart from North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, starting the discussion on the Prespa agreement in the framework of the International Conference on Peace and Sustainable Development.

He made special mention of the 153 MPs who supported the Prespa Agreement in the Greek Parliament not only from SYRIZA, but also from Potami or then independent MPs.

He also commented that when the agreement was made, the conditions had not simply “ripened”, but if they had waited any longer, they might have “rotted”, speaking of an “extremely negative context six years later” mainly due to the wars in the wider neighborhood.

Asked about the latest developments in North Macedonia and the possibility of the new government not respecting the agreement, he underlined that “the wisdom of the agreement is that the safeguards have already been put in place”. As he explained, if it is not respected, not only the country’s European perspective is at risk, but its very “existence”, as it is threatened by “international isolation”, while he pointed out that “third countries”, such as Turkey and Russia, are trying to intervene in the Balkans. That is why, he stressed, this agreement was of “strategic” importance for the EU as well.

Asked, therefore, if it would be useful for Greece to claim the Enlargement portfolio in the new Commission, he replied: “Why not? From having this for the European way of life certainly more useful.” At the same time, he emphasized the need for the country to be a “pillar of stability and peace” and “a bridge between continents and peoples, as a member of NATO and the EU”, while noting that it should also play the role of “mediator” in the war in Gaza.

He described it as an “excuse” that at this stage the government does not vote on the three memoranda, noting that he himself assumed the cost of his “re-election”, leaving hints that the current prime minister is afraid of the “internal opposition”.

He also emphasized that at that time “extremes were heard” that “he exchanged Macedonia for pensions”, however, he noted that this agreement was a common “vision” of the two politicians and even called it “a correct policy” and not a “butt dump” Kyriakos Mitsotakis the fact that “he is not proceeding in a self-destructive way by denouncing the agreement as he had promised before the elections”.

Finally, Al. Tsipras pointed out that this agreement was able to take place because the timing was “fortunate”, as both countries happened to have progressive governments.

For his part, the former Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev shared that when he met with Alexis Tsipras for the first time in Davos, he told him that he was ready to proceed with an agreement and they concluded that “both of them will be politically dead” after agreement, but “worth it”, as a “legacy” for the two peoples.

He also sent a message to the new prime minister of his country to “keep the agreement” as he has confirmed to him, but also to the Greek prime minister, “as long as he supports the European perspective of North Macedonia and fought for the promotion of its accession path” and since “against during his term of office, economic cooperation with the EU has increased” to proceed with the ratification of the three memoranda that the country is actually implementing.