Tzanakopoulos: Athens expects decisive step from Skopje

The ball is in the neighbor’s court and we are waiting for them to make the decisive step towards a solution, says Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos in an interview with Greek TV station Kontra.

“We expect the political leadership of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to make the decisive step so that we finally move forward towards a mutually acceptable solution. Mr.Zaev will have to make the required political activities in his country and we expect this,” says Tzanakopoulos.

He failed to say when Zaev and Tsipras would speak over the phone, reiterating that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.

“Of course, everything that is agreed during the technical talks is put on paper. We expect the communication between the two PMs, but we cannot say when,” added Tzanakopoulos.

According to him, Greece is under no pressure and adds that the ball is in the court of the other side.

“If there is an agreement, it will be difficult for New Democracy and other parties in opposition to find a reason not to vote for the agreement, because it guarantees the country’s interests. It will incorporate safeguards over an interim period towards the new name of the neighboring country through specific technical and legally binding conditions,” says Tzanakopoulos.