Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-03-25

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] FM on FYROM issue

[01] FM on FYROM issue

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis on Monday evening pointed to what she called wholly unproductive comments hours earlier by the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Nikola Gruevski, on the very day of a crucial UN-mediated meeting between Greek and FYROM negotiators in New York City.

"Mr. Gruevski�s statements, only hours before the start of this very crucial meeting under the United Nations� auspices, do not help the overall effort by predicting a negative result,? Bakoyannis said from Athens, while adding: ?We believe in this process and do not subscribe to this reasoning.?

?The period until Bucharest (the upcoming NATO summit) is only marginally adequate for finding a consensual, practical and functional solution. Greece, with its well-known positions, moderation and sincerity, has proposed, for some time now, a mutually acceptable solution to this 17-year impasse. Our consistent position will be recorded during today�s (Monday) meeting in New York,? she added.

Finally, the Greek foreign minister emphasised, in a pointed message to the government in Skopje, that ?it is clear that relations between allies, relations of solidarity and stability, are not built on (top) of serious outstanding problems.?

Gruevski was earlier quoted in Skopje as more-or-less expressing his utter pessimism over the outcome of ongoing talks.

"I am not so optimistic, as much as I am a realist regarding the pending name issue. The situation is such that Greece has the intent of placing a veto in case we do not accept its blackmail. We cannot accept blackmail, in the manner that Athens wants. It is almost certain that in case Greece exercises a veto over the accession of 'Macedonia' to NATO, then talks with Greece over the name issue will find themselves in a deep crisis, and could possibly be suspended," the landlocked country's premier said on Monday afternoon following a meeting with his visiting Estonian counterpart Andrus Ansip.

"Greece's (potential) veto will cause great disappointment amongst the citizens of 'Macedonia', with long-term negative repercussions for the two countries' relations. In such a case, our country will continue with reforms and continue implementing measures to improve citizens' lives. Maybe it (FYROM) will wait for another opportunity, in the coming years or even decades for its accession to NATO, but this period will pass. However, Greece will cause damage not only to us but to the entire region and NATO, as well as to itself," said Gruevski, who used the shortened version of the country's constitutional name throughout.

In repeating a quip mostly aired by the one-time Yugoslav republic's political hardliners, Gruevski said NATO and EU member Greece's potential veto would come ?against the alliance itself?.

Greece has been a member of NATO since 1952.

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