Greece to raise Prespa accord in talks with FM
Greece is expected to raise concerns over North Macedonia’s failure to fully implement the 2018 Prespa accord during talks in Athens on Wednesday between Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski.
The meeting comes amid mounting EU pressure on Skopje to honor commitments tied to its accession process.
Despite recent instances of cooperation – including Greece’s treatment of injured citizens after a deadly nightclub fire in Kocani and joint firefighting operations – Athens has voiced alarm over the increasing use of the name “Macedonia” without the constitutional prefix “North” by President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and ministers of the ruling nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party.
Greek officials are also concerned about the omission of “North” in public discourse and state institutions, including sports federations. Siljanovska-Davkova has said that if the Prespa accord had truly benefited her country, it would already be an EU member.
She and VMRO-DPMNE officials argue that further progress is being held back by Greece’s failure to ratify three bilateral memoranda tied to the deal.
