PM Tsipras: A Historic Trip to North Macedonia, a New Strategic Vision For The Two Countries

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras termed his visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday "historic", as the first official visit of a Greek prime minister to Skopje, in an interview to Sanja Ristovska for North Macedonia's news agency MIA, and underlined the importance of building mutual trust between the peoples of the two countries.

"We must build mutual trust and North Macedonia should look to the future," Tsipras told MIA. "Our region requires cooperation and stability: Greece needs a stable and secure northern neighbour, and North Macedonia needs a strong neighbour that supports its European perspectives."

As Tsipras noted, in terms of the Prespes Agreement signed between the two countries resolving an outstanding decades-long name issue, "Greece will be your main ally and protector with regards to political stability, economic cooperation and development, military cooperation and security."

He warned, however, that the Agreement "will be tested in critical areas as time goes by," despite the progress achieved in a brief period of time. Ahead of that, "the dialogue and the trust we have established at all levels, beginning from mine with Zoran (North Macedonia's PM Zoran Zaev) is precious," he noted.