Skopje, 28 August 2021 (MIA) – The dispute between North Macedonia and Greece was unresolved for three decades. We spend three decades unsure of our future, worrying about the negative consequences. The key strategic interests of the country, the region and Euro-Atlantic structures were blocked. But, the idea of the future guided us throughout the process. Both sides made compromises in the name of friendship and the interest of political partners, as well as their own, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in Münster on Saturday as he received the 2020 International Peace of Westphalia Prize together with former Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras. Friendship, he underlined, was crucial for us to start discussing issues, even when finding a solution seemed impossible. “Throughout the process, we refused to discuss red lines. Red lines are limiting, they put you in a box. We refused to put the process in a box. That’s how friendship works. It’s focused on solutions and building bridges. Friendship is the essence of the Prespa Agreement, which ended the dispute and long-standing differences that built walls and made neighbourly relations between North Macedonia and Greece difficult,” the PM stressed. Tsipras and I, he added, were fully aware that we were putting our political careers at risk. “Our strong commitment and readiness to sacrifice our political careers for the sake of the future brought us together and guided us throughout the process. When the person sitting across the table is focused on finding a solution and shares your political values you have all the necessary ingredients for friendly relations and the conditions to reach a mutually acceptable solution. More importantly, this type of commitment turns into friendship, a friendship which the two of us instilled in the foundations of new relations between our countries. That’s our most important achievement,” Zaev said. He also talked about NATO membership, regional cooperation and once again stressed that North Macedonia has no alternative to EU integration. Former Greek PM Alexis Tsipras also addressed Saturday’s award ceremony, which was attended by other guests and high representatives, as well as by Latvian President Egils Levits and the Chairman of the German Economic Society for Westphalia and Lippe Reinhard Zinkann.