BBC story on ‘Macedonian’ minority triggers political response

Greece’s main opposition party New Democracy (ND) denounced a BBC news programme referring to a ‘Macedonian minority’ and issued a statement on Sunday.

ND’s statement calls on the government to "clarify, categorically and towards all directions, that there is no issue of a 'Macedonian ethnic minority' in Greece."

The announcement also made reference to a parliament exchange between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during which the latter accused the former of harboring nationalism, and said that the BBC news report directly invoked the PM's speech.

"The responsibility for the Prespes Agreement and its harming consequences lies exclusively on the government and its willing supporters," the announcement concluded.

Meanwhile diplomatic sources said that ‘the Prespes Agreement leaves no room for raising the issue of a minority" a after the BBC report referring to 'oppressed Macedonian-Slavs'.

The BBC report, the source continued, contained inaccurate and distorted information about history and the Prespes Agreement and the government is planning to send the network a letter in order to refute them.