Kotzias: Referendum not a condition for implementation of the Prespa Agreement

The referendum is not a condition or legal requirement for implementation of the Prespa Agreement, but a choice made by Skopje, says Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias in an interview with Greek national TV station ERT following Sunday’s referendum in Macedonia.

Kotzias says President Gjorge Ivanov and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev were elected to the posts with less votes than the “Yes” ballots at the referendum.

“The agreement reads that the referendum is a choice made by the government in Skopje, but not a condition, prerequisite or a legal requirement for the agreement’s implementation. Now we go to the political aspects. Is 37 a large percentage? At first glance, a person not familiar with Balkan politics and the reality in Skopje would say a low turnout, and this is logical. But, if one looks at the numbers and prior elections, then certain things will become clearer,” says Kotzias and referred to the number of votes that PM Zaev and President Ivanov got when elected to the posts.

According to him, the voters’ list in Macedonia has not been filtered and the realistic number of voters ranges between 1-1,2 million, meaning 550,000 votes would represent a majority of 50 percent plus 1.

“In reality, the number of voters ranges between 1-1,2 million, so the Prespa Agreement received over fifty percent of this body,” says Kotzias.

Regarding developments in Macedonia, he says that if PM Zaev does not win the battle in the Parliament, “he will win the next elections, as witnessed by the referendum results.”

“The opposition did not ask for elections because they know they will lose,” adds Kotzias.

The FM voices assurance that the Prespa Agreement will be ratified by the incumbent Greek parliament by a majority of MPs.

“The Prespa Agreement is balanced, it can stand the test of time, it is a model-agreement, as stated by all international renowned university institutions,” says Kotzias.

He notes there is no better policy for the Balkans’ future than cooperation between the two neighbors.

“First we need to stabilize this country, which we would not like to see destroyed. Only far-right radicals say ‘Give us the guns to go to Skopje.’ If this is not irredentism, then… Imagine, they used to say this about us. Secondly, we are putting an end to ideas about Greater Albania because the country is stabilizing. Thirdly, both Serbs and Bulgarians acknowledge the country’s reality. Greece-FYROM relations represent the stabilizing axis on the Balkans,” explains FM Kotzias.