European Union must accept Albania and FYROM: Greek FM

Greece's Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said the European Union must keep its promise for accession talks to both Albania and FYROM during a media interview on Sunday.

"As long as the European Commission started and set a horizon this summer to launch formal negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, [the EU] will have to deliver the promise we made," said Kotzias.

"We have put them first, but by joining a monitoring and screening process, they can solve them more efficiently," he added.

"I have told my counterparts they can be as strict as they want. But we must not block that prospect. I am afraid that if a date for accession is not given to North Macedonia, all this effort we made with great sacrifices and compromises from both sides, could be jeopardised. Furthermore, if one of the two countries starts the negotiations, and let’s say, Albania is left out, this will create a state of instability in the region."

The Greek Foreign Minister  clarified that "if some countries had issues with North Macedonia and Albania, they should have notified them before." "Now, we have the Commission’s report and the proposal to look at the opening of the negotiations. Now we reached the point and we have to do it. Europe must keep its word," he said.

Meanwhile NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday on NATO  will only invite the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to become a full member of the Alliance once Skopje has ratified the agreement with Greece on the name dispute and if a referendum in FYROM returns a 'yes' vote supporting this agreement.