Katrougalos meets EU foreign policy chief in Brussels
Developments in the Western Balkans and the European Union membership ambitions of countries in the region were at the center of talks between Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos and the bloc’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Wednesday.
Talks were held on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
Citing diplomatic sources, the state-run Athens-Macedonian news agency reported that the Greek minister raised the issue of controversial remarks made by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) who over the weekend implied there is a "Macedonian" minority in Greece.
Katrougalos reportedly also called for a more constructive European involvement ahead of deliberations aimed at restarting Cyprus peace talks.
During a press conference Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the ratification of the so-called Prespes name agreement between Athens and Skopje is a precondition for FYROM to join NATO.
