The ultimate solution to the name dispute must be accepted by both sides, meanwhile, we are strongly committed to confidence building measures, said today Alexis Tsipras at a press conference after his first meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Zoram Zaev that lasted more than two hours.
Zaev emphasized that Macedonia has no territorial pretensions towards Greece and to prove it, he will change the names of “Alexander the Great” airport and the highway “Alexander the Great”, which will be renamed “Friendship”.
“The ultimate solution must be acceptable to both parties. We must take an interest in protecting the identity of our people. To show our commitment, I announce that the government will change the name of both the airport and the highway that will be called “Friendship”. Our activities show our goodwill. This testifies that we have no territorial claims”, Zaev said.
The Greek prime minister said that a mutually acceptable solution must be found, ‘erga omnes’ and that the issue should be solved by pragmatism and a sense of responsibility.
“Zaev informed me that he is ready to take his initiatives in this direction. On my part, I agree to take action. We must find a solution to all the open issues so that our northern neighbor can continue on their Euro-Atlantic path”, Tsipras said.
