Athens, 1 February 2022 (MIA) – We’re trying to facilitate in lifting any obstacles that currently exist due to the Bulgarian veto on holding the first intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia, said Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis during Tuesday’s session of the Commission on European Affairs in the Greek Parliament, pointing out however that the country’s European perspective is not an ‘irreversible course’ and any change in the position on the Prespa Agreement by the Macedonian side will also mean a change by the Greek side, MIA’s Athens correspondent reports. Varvitsiotis briefed the commission on the latest developments related to European affairs, particularly in the region, reaffirming Greek support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans and reiterating the Greek position. “We support the European perspective of Albania and North Macedonia. We’re trying to facilitate in lifting any obstacles that currently exist due to the Bulgarian veto on holding the first intergovernmental conference. However, we’d like to reiterate, in any possible way, that this is not a course that is irreversible. If our north neighbors decide to change their position in relation to full implementation of the Prespa Agreement, then Greece too will accordingly change its position,” Varvitsiotis said. In this context, in response to remarks by Syriza MP Yannis Burnus that the Greek government has still not submitted for ratification the three memoranda with North Macedonia, the Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs said Greece’s position is right, adding it is “one of the country’s diplomatic weapons.” He noted that during talks with the previous government of North Macedonia and in awaiting talks with the new government, he hasn’t heard that the country “minds the non-ratification of the memoranda”, adding that he’s been only hearing it from Syriza. “Seeing that the political situation in North Macedonia is difficult, I believe it’s better for us to be careful and have available as many diplomatic weapons,” Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Varvitsiotis said.