ND says the "red lines" on the Skopje issue are still in effect

The Skopje name issue has special significance for ND. Firstly because of the history of the subject and the sensitivity of president Antonis Samaras. Secondly, because ND credited the decision of the NATO Summit and thirdly because the maneuvers from the foreign minister’s post are currently being carried out by the party’s vice president Stavros Dimas.

Dimas believes that despite the first part of the decision to accept the claim of Skopje that Greece violated the Interim Agreement, it does not address the substantive part of the conflict and shall not preclude the possibility of our country behaving in the same manner in the future and preventing Skopje’s entry into international organizations should it maintain its attitude and fail to find a mutually acceptable name.

Dimas is already in Brussels and has said in an elegant way that the objections of Greece still remain and that it would be better not to put pressure on our country concerning Skopje’s path in the EU or NATO.

MEP Giorgos Koumoutsakos was one of the protagonists of the 2008 Agreement and stated that "despite today's decision, the unanimous decision by the Heads of State and governments of NATO in Bucharest in 2008 remains a valuable precedent and an asset for the country's diplomatic efforts under UN auspices to find a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue ".

In his statement, the ND head of the foreign sector Panos Panayiotopoulos believes that "undoubtedly the decision by the International Court of Justice will be subject to multiple interpretations and distortions. Skopje’s first efforts to use the decision as "raw material" for a new propaganda offensive against Greece have already occurred.

"One name acceptable to all and for any use"

Panayiotopoulos notes that the International Court of Justice is not involved at all in the name issue, which is the "vehicle" of the Skopje propaganda, and it urges both sides to engage in meaningful negotiations under the auspices of the UN, thus asking Skopje to abandon its intransigent stance and give substance to the dialogue to find a mutually acceptable solution.

And he clarifies that "Greece must not back off from the 'red lines' that have been promulgated and include the ERGA OMNES, ie 'one name acceptable to all and for any use', and must also respond directly to the communication attack by Gruevski in an atmosphere of unity".

ND believes that we need unity and unanimity within the country and that the matter is not one for political exploitation by any party, accusing the LAOS side. Samaras does not want to raise the tones on the Skopje name issue nor enter a pre-election confrontation for the patriotic audience of the right wing. The substantial development around the issue and whether pressure will be exercised on our country will show at the NATO General Affairs and foreign ministers meeting in the coming days. Our country has no reason to raise the tones, thus risking making this a bigger issue than the decision of the Court has done.