The use of the constitutional name of North Macedonia erga omnes (for all purposes) it is fundamental and non-negotiable Kyriakos Mitsotakis explained on Tuesday about the Prespa agreement.

In a discussion with the former US ambassador in Athens, Daniel Speckhardt, the prime minister said that the problem with the Balkans is that very often the specter of nationalism emerges when no one necessarily expects it, and he cited North Macedonia as an example.

“North Macedonia is a member of NATO today because Greece lifted its veto after the Prespa Agreement which was signed and ratified by the previous government. We have made it clear that this is an international agreement that obliges the country. We respected that and I respect that. One of the fundamental, if not the most fundamental, aspects of this agreement had to do with the name North Macedonia being used erga omnes. And this is something that is very clear and non-negotiable for Greece. When I hear that the new government refers to the country as the Republic of Macedonia within the country, I have serious concerns. And this is a topic I intend to address. It is not constructive and does not help North Macedonia’s European path”, underlined the Prime Minister.

Mr. Mitsotakis mentioned and in Cypriot. He said that it was 50 years since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and reiterated the need for a resolution based on the decisions of the UN Security Council. The Prime Minister characteristically reminded that Cyprus is an occupied European country.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the prime minister said that Greece was aligned with its allies from the start and offered full support to Ukraine.

“And this was not a given for a country that had historical, cultural and religious ties with Russia,” he noted and added: “We made our position clear. We have delivered it in terms of political, economic and military support and our position is not going to change.”

He pointed out, at the same time, that the EU was remarkably united. “We have put in place a number of strong actions and in fact we were the ones who delivered a significant fiscal support package,” he said.

Regarding the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU, he pointed out that “we crossed this bridge, and this long journey has begun.”

He added: “Therefore, I see no sign of European commitment wavering. Yes, we may have issues with one or two countries. One of them happens to be leading the EU Council as we speak. But overall European support has been very consistent and strong.”

The prime minister also referred to the organization of European security and the possibility of it functioning in addition to NATO.

He then spoke about the proposal he has made with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “For a European defense initiative that is essentially a European air defense shield to strengthen our existing defense capabilities by committing more European resources to this project, always fully integrated into NATO structures,” he noted.

Regarding the relationship with Turkey, he recalled that we went through three years of difficult times noting that in the last year and a half, things have improved significantly and we have to acknowledge that.

“At the same time, we recognize that some of the fundamental Turkish positions regarding the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean have not fundamentally changed. But the fact that we’ve had sixteen months of quiet, in terms of not having violations of Greek airspace, that we’re cooperating better on immigration, that we’ve actually made an agreement that allows Turkish citizens to travel to the Aegean islands and take the their visas very quickly, these are all some positive steps,” he added.