Athens, 17 May 2024 (MIA) — North Macedonia's road to Europe will remain closed, and the Hellenic Parliament will not ratify the memorandums of cooperation if the other side does not fully honor the Prespa Agreement, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Friday, MIA's Athens correspondent reports.

Speaking to supporters in the city of Veria in the north of Greece, Mitsotakis spoke about bilateral ties and reiterated New Democracy's poisition on the Prespa Aggreement. He said abiding by it was a requirement for the country's European perspective and the ratification of the related memorandums of cooperation.

"I would like to say it clearly from here, from the heart of Macedonia," Mitsotakis said. "New Democracy did not vote for the Prespa Agreement and we voiced our serious objections when it was ratified in the Greek Parliament. But we said, with absolute sincerity — I have never lied to you — that once this agreement passes, it cannot be changed and we will be forced, despite the problems with it, to honor it." 

"And we have done so. If anyone believes they may violate the agreement, they should know two things: first, their path to Europe will remain closed, and second, the memorandums that we need to ratify will not be ratified unless there is absolute compliance. Absolute compliance by the new government in line with the agreement's provisions," he said. mr/