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President says Greece will not accept ‘arbitrary’ interpretations of Prespes deal

President says Greece will not accept ‘arbitrary’ interpretations of Prespes deal

Greece seeks to establish good neighborly relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) but will not accept “arbitrary” interpretations of the name deal signed with the country last June, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Tuesday.

“If and when it [the deal] comes [to Parliament] for ratification, we will not in any way accept arbitrary – and even more so irredentist – interpretations of the Prespes Accord by FYROM,” he told Greek officials working in European institutions during a speech at the European Commission in Brussels.

Pavlopoulos said Greece welcomes the prospect of FYROM's accession to NATO and the EU, provided the name dispute is resolved.

“It is only when this whole process is definitively completed, and once it is established that the constitutional review contains all the guarantees, that there may be an invitation for accession in NATO, as well as any start of talks for accession to the EU,” he added. 

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