Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sia Anagnostopoulou, spoke today on Alpha 989 Radio. In reference to, among other things, the prevailing climate during the first formal visit by a Greek Prime Minister to North Macedonia, she stated that “the climate was that which the journalist conveyed in the best possible way. Most media, at least, conveyed this climate of joy, enthusiasm, and above all, emotion.” “I think that all Greek men and women would be proud. There was a climate of enthusiasm on the part of North Macedonia. They regard Greece as a friendly country which can provide them with prospects for the future, as well as to stabilise their country in the region, without the interference of foreigners, without dependence, to protect it from problems, the power struggles in the region, as well as more widely,” the Alternate Minister stated. With regard to the participation of 140 Greek entrepreneurs in the Business forum that was organised in North Macedonia's capital, she was questioned on the issue of commercial designations. The Alternate Minister said: “what I received from the entrepreneurs was their will to find solutions. I didn’t hear any complaining. I witnessed a spirit of solidarity". Sia Anagnostopoulou added that “problems had accumulated for 30 years which, due to inaction, and also because they were swept under the rug, we thought they did not exist. The Prespa Agreement comes to resolve them.” Referring to the specific steps being taken to resolve the issue of commercial designations, she stated: “There are specific steps. As early as Monday, we will have a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the establishment of the committee that will deal with the issue of commercial designations. The Committee will be established by mid-May. The competent ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Development, and Rural Development will be represented, as well international experts on the European Union and International Trade Law. The Committee will be coordinated by our Ministry. The two Prime Ministers, Mr Zaev and Mr Tsipras, gave us the orders yesterday, and they told the business world too, to proceed very quickly. Each side, Greece and North Macedonia, will create its own Committee, and these two Committees will meet. The international actors, who are very familiar with European law and International law, will be mutually accepted. This is proceeding very quickly, given that the Prespa Agreement provided for the establishment of the said Committee by the end of 2019, but Mr Tsipras and Mr Zaev gave us the orders to speed things up, and this is what we shall do. All these things do not exist in a legal vacuum. There is European and international law. The problems have piled up due to non-resolution of the name issue because most countries had recognised the country with its former constitutional name, as the Republic of Macedonia, and this led to huge problems and distortions. Sia Anagnostopoulou referred to the example of the situation prevailing with China: “In China, relating to which New Democracy tried to create an issue, since 2000, at least ten Greek companies were unable to obtain the trade name “Macedonian,” due to China’s national law which has not been harmonised with international law (Paris Convention, Madrid Protocol etc), and also due to North Macedonia's former constitutional name. New Democracy speaks as if these issues have just arisen, now that we are headed towards resolving all of them based on European and International Law, and of course, above all, we are improving communication between the entrepreneurs of the two countries. With regard to the Greece-North Macedonia defence cooperation agreement, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs stated: “We continuously say as a country that we don’t want Turkish policy to have an effect in our neighbourhood, but how can this be achieved in practice? When Greece takes control of the airspace of the neighbouring country, who does it displace from the region? It displaces Turkey. Our neighbouring country regards Greece and the Greek people as its most friendly ally, and as its support in proceeding towards the future.
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