Controversial Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos told deputies in Parliament on Wednesday that the neighboring former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) will receive an invitation to join the NATO alliance “after it has completed obligations stipulated in the Prespes Agreement”.
Kammenos, the head of a small right-wing party that props up the mostly leftist Tsipras government in a “strange bedfellows” coalition, has attempted to walk a political “tight-rope” over the recent period. On the one hand, Kammenos and his remaining Independent Greeks’ (AN.EL) MPs oppose the bilateral agreement between Athens and Skopje to resolve the fYRoM “name issue”, but at the same time continue to support the government that negotiated and signed the up-for-ratification pact.
A day earlier Kammenos demanded ratification – when and if the agreement comes to Parliament – by an extended majority of 180 deputies out of the 300 in Greece’s legislature. His comments came on the same day as the country’s foreign minister, Nikos Kotzias, who led Athens’ negotiations over the agreement, said only a simple majority (150+1) was needed for ratification.
In response to sharp criticism by the opposition, Kammenos said the signing of the agreement “produces no result, and without Greece’s approval, fYRoM cannot join NATO.”
The Greek defense minister will represent the country at this month’s NATO summit.
Earlier, Kammenos and his remaining MPs pointed to as long as two years for all procedures to be finalized, ticking off new elections in the neighboring country, possible the election of a new president, ratification, the holding of a referendum etc., whereas regular elections in Greece can come no later than the autumn of 2019.
