Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kodzias will travel to Skopje on Wednesday for a meeting with Macedonian political leadership. Macedonia will be the first state which Kodzias will visit on his mini-tour of the Western Balkans for strengthening relations and cooperation between Greece and the Balkan countries and for maintaining regional stability.
It is expected Kodzias in Skopje to have detailed discussions on confidence-building measures, on all bilateral issues, on the name dispute, and enhancing economic cooperation. At the recent meeting in Athens with Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Fatmir Besimi, Greek Foreign Minister said he hoped contracts on confidence-building measures to be finished in Skopje and measures related to better economic, technical and cultural cooperation, like opening a new border crossing agreement to establish a railway link with Bitola agreement on avoidance of double taxation, greater cultural and educational cooperation, to be fully disclosed.
Greek minister will come to Skopje with good will for cooperation, but also with sharp view that, in order to make progress in the negotiations and to improve bilateral ties, it is necessary Macedonian government to forget the irredentist tendencies. Kodzias reiterated this view during yesterday’s visit to Sofia, where he underlined that expects Macedonia to respect international law.
“We respect the history, learn from it, but we are not stuck and confined in history. There should be respect for international law. We have submitted proposals and we have made compromises, but some need to get rid of their irredentism,” said Kodzias in Sofia, adding that he hopes the Macedonian government will make realistic and pragmatic steps.
Kodzias will arrive in Skopje from Luxembourg, where on Monday and Tuesday he will attend the Foreign Affairs Council and General Affairs Council of the EU, on which preparations for the EU summit on 25th and 26th of June will be made, and on which is expected to adopt conclusions on the situation in Macedonia. During the visit to Luxembourg, Kodzias will also attend an official lunch with the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon.
From Skopje, Kodzias will leave for Belgrade, and the next stop will be Podgorica. Although visits to Tirana and Pristina were expected, the official program doesn’t imply visit to Albania and Kosovo.
