Varvitsiotis: Greece against decoupling of Skopje and Tirana

Jerusalem, 31 October, 2019 (TPS) -- By: MIA

We are against those who want to decouple the two countries, those that never gained momentum or numerical majority in the European Council, said Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, MIA reports from Athens.

Varvitsiotis briefed members of the Parliament’s European Affairs Committee on issues related to the Union and conclusions of the recent Council summit.

Regarding the European perspective of North Macedonia and Albania, he said it is clear that both countries are in a different stage – one closer the other farther – with Greece urging for a start of the accession negotiations with both Skopje and Tirana, adding the period of starting the negotiations is common, while each country would be assessed according to its individual achievements.

“The decoupling does not strengthen our northern border and can cause imbalance and tensions,” said Varvitsiotis.

On EU’s enlargement, the Alternate FM said Greece’s goal is not to border with Balkan but European states, recalling that the support to the European perspective of the Western Balkans was a decision by the Greek EU Presidency in 2003.