Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told Euronews that the implementation of the Prespa treaty will be affected if Macedonia doesn’t open its EU accession talks.
While Euronews is yet to air the full interview, Greek ANA – MPA news agency is reporting that he linked the domestic implementation of the name change treaty with Macedonia opening the EU accession chapters – as provided in article 1(10) of the Prespa treaty.
There is a link between the implementation of the treaty and the opening and closing of the accession chapters. Especially in the domestic implementation in some instances. There is a link and our Greek friends accepted that we can do that for the future of North Macedonia in the European Union. And in this context, the Prespa treaty can’t be implemented, Zaev reportedly told Euronews.
The article is clearly meant to prevent Greece from vetoing Macedonia’s EU accession talks again, an obligation Greece assumed as early in 1995, with the Interim Accord, but then promptly ignored. Greece did not block the opening of accession talks in Brussels – France did the honors this time – but it did push against the decoupling of Macedonia from Albania, which contributed to the veto, given the higher level of opposition Albania had encountered.
Zaev’s statement comes only days after the pledged to implement the treaty in full, regardless of whether Macedonia opens the EU accession talks. Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov today joined in the chorus of voices announcing a suspension in the implementation of the treaty.
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