Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday told party cadres he’s unwilling to “allow the division of the Greek people in order to unite the Skopjians,” the latter a reference to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM), a high-profile comment made only hours before Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was due to meet with his fYRoM counterpart Zoran Zaev in Davos, Switzerland.
Mitsotakis, the son of late prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis and the brother of former foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis, both of whom played a decisive role in the 27-year-old “name issue” saga at different times and circumstances, noted that another more conducive time should be sought to solve the difference separating Athens and Skopje.
“The way things are developing, it may be necessary to seek another (political) juncture, and assuming proper preparation has been made… unless there are some who, for the sake of their offices, are willing to give up Greek interests,” he added.
The abrupt impetus to resume nearly dormant, since 2008, negotiations to finally resolve the fYRoM “name issue” surprised many in Greece, although the leftist-rightist coalition government pointed to the existence of a more moderate government in Skopje and a pending NATO summit.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as it is still recognized by NATO, has for more than a decade attempted to join the Alliance. Although recognized by its preferred constitutional name, the “Republic of Macedonia”, by scores of countries, its Euro-Atlantic course is blocked by Athens. The latter insists that the name “Macedonia” and its application to refer to the ethnicity and language of the dominant ethnic group in the one-time Yugoslav constituent state, implies an irredentist threat to the northern Greece province of Macedonia.
“We will not become accomplices in a story that risks injuring the nation’s soul,” Mitsotakis said.
