Greek gov’t spokesperson: Kammenos won’t be obstacle to name solution


Greek government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos in the interview with the state broadcaster ERT expressed hope that 2018 could be the year when name issue would be closed, MIA reports from Athens.

He said this year a window of opportunity exists for a solution and called the opposition New Democracy to recall on inter-party disagreements in 1992 precisely due to the name and explained that Panos Kammenos would not be an obstacle to the solution.

During 2018, taking into consideration positive position of the political leadership of FYROM, there is a window of opportunity for resolving the problem which has not been resolved for already 25 years both in our country and in the neighbouring country. My view is that we need to use this window of opportunity, we need to find the most adequate conditions and the most appropriate process in order to head towards the solution to the problem, Tzanakopoulos said.

In regard to the position of the coalition partner in the government, Panos Kammenos and his position that he will not accept use of term Macedonia in the name, Tzanakopoulos explained that parties that have different positions and different political origin cooperate in the government, but assessed that leader of Independent Greeks will not be an obstacle to the agreement.

Kammenos also said something else that once there is a total consensus in the political system, he himself will not be an obstacle to resolving the issue, Tzanakopoulos explained, adding that according to his assessments, there will be a possibility to accomplish as broader as possible consensus in Greece aimed at seizing the window of opportunity for resolving the problem with a complex name.

Tzanakopoulos in the interview commented the stance of New Democracy, which strives for the government to come up with common position on the name. He said that the opposition party forgets its story, forgets that it played huge role in 1992 for the issue to remain unresolved for 25 years, MIA reports.

Tzanakopoulos reminded New Democracy that Konstantinos Mitsotakis, as prime minister, and Antonis Samaras as foreign minister as part of the same one-party government had two different positions at meeting of political party leaders