Prespa Agreement

We have just started issuing new passports with the name “North Macedonia” - way ahead of schedule, sooner than the Prespa Agreement has foreseen.

Tsipras was attending the “Prespa Forum Dialogue”, where he sought to burnish his leadership profile with messages to Balkan countries such as Bulgaria and Kosovo and to the EU.

Mitsotakis’ choice of Thessaloniki for his final outdoors campaign speech was linked to his staunch opposition to the Greece-North Macedonia Prespa Agreement, which is very unpopular there.

Zaev said he expected fresh Greek investments to exceed €500m. 'The Republic of North Macedonia will have huge economic benefits from the deal that I believe will be seen in every area of the economy,' Zaev said.

'The Macedonian language is the language of the Macedonians in Australia, America, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany, and no one disputes that,' Zaev declared.

'Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is going to visit Macedonia, and it is the first visit of a Greek prime minister to our country,' said Ambassador Rusi Popovska in the presence of members of the Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.

Critics say the Prespa Agreement leaves plenty of room for misinterpretation and exploitation by forces which wish to stir problems and push for the recognition of a “Macedonian minority in Greece”.

Kotzias was the architect of the Prespa Agreement and Kammenos and his Independent Greeks party (then the junior coalition partner) vehemently opposed it.

'The Independent Greeks’ parliamentary group convened and we unanimously demanded that Mr. Papachristopoulos surrender his seat to the party as he had promised.'

'With the Prespa Agreement, Greece accepted the right of self-identification and that no one any longer can deny our right to be Macedonians who speak the Macedonian language in this land,' Zaev said

'International law makes it [the accord] difficult to change as it supersedes all domestic law. Any violation can bring international isolation and an International Court of Justice case against our country,' said New Democracy's leader.

The hike comes into effect in February, and 24 benefits linked to the minimum wage will also increase by extension.

Naturally, this is a detail of the bigger map of Nato’s overall strategy with its known aggressive aims and with the main target in this period being Russia.

This chasm between the country’s name on the one hand and its ethnicity and language on the other leaves a bitter taste for almost all Greek citizens, as was evidenced in the recent rallies and opinion polls.

The agreement recognises that that country is inhabited by Macedonians and not North Macedonians and that they speak Macedonian and not a South Slavic language.

Within the next 30 days Greece’s creditors or “institutions”, which are currently in Athens to conduct an evaluation, expect the government to have met 16 prior commitments.

If the police are unable to isolate a small number of troublemakers, either they are incompetent or they are executing instructions unrelated to maintaining order issued by their superiors.

In effect, with the pretext of protecting the rights of veterans the clarification asserts clearly the existence of a Macedonian ethnicity (Macedonian people) and indeed liberation struggles that sought to unify the entire geographic area of Macedonia.

In his speech, Potami MP Yorgos Amyras in parliament declared “You will find the single vote needed in tonight’s confidence vote, but you willl not find 151 votes [to ratify] the Prespa Agreement.”

Tsipras also accused New Democracy of tolerating the attacks and death threats issued by ND cadres and sent to MPs who plan to support the government.

Independent Greeks MP Thanasis Papachristopoulos, Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura, and Deputy Agriculture Minister Vasilis Kokkalis will give the government their confidence.

The talks also touched on tax cuts that ND has proposed, attracting investment, and continuing on the path of structural reforms.

'This is not the end of reforms but rather the beginning. The problems have not entirely been transcended,' Merkel said.

At a crucial meeting on 11 January, junior coalition partner Panos Kammenos will make clear whether he and his party will continue to be part of the government’s parliamentary majority

Merkel’s meeting with Mitsotakis is of particular interest, as he is presumed to be the country’s next PM and he staunchly opposes the Greece-FYROM Prespa Agreement

There are concerns in Greece that MPs who have declared their support may switch at the last moment, so as to ensure their political survival in the general election.

The PM says he is mulling over which Sunday in October he might hold the general election. “I am looking for a date in October,” he said, thus indicating that he intends to serve out his whole term.

“As President of Bulgaria, I do not agree with the name ‘Northern Macedonia’. There is no such country. That name cannot be adopted. We cannot accept that there is a ‘Macedonian language’," said Rumen Radev.

In Larissa, Kammenos said that he will pull out of the government if the FYROM Parliament finalises the constitutional amendments required by the Prespa accord

Tsipras is underlining the need for improved bilateral ties so as to “stably build the basis of the two countries’ cooperation after nearly five years of inertia in their relations”.

The term used by FYROM's PM implies that the Greek part of the geographical territory of Macedonia (including Thessaloniki) is unliberated and cut off from the state of FYROM

The resignation comes straight on the heels of yesterday’s stormy cabinet meeting, during which Kotzias lambasted Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, Tsipras’ junior coalition partner, after Kammenos on an official visit to Washington trashed the government’s Greece-FYROM Prespa Agreement and presented his own “Plan B”.

The two party leaders reiterated their intention to continue their political collaboration in the coalition government at least until March, when the Prespa Agreement is expected to be tabled in the Greek Parliament

'Since the referendum was consultative, and not mandatory, it is now up to the Members of Parliament, chosen by the people, to make a decision respecting and following the interests of the citizens, the country and their personal duty,' Zaev told Ta Nea in an exclusive interview.