ND slams Tsipras over comments on FYROM name dispute

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras came under fire from the opposition on Friday for saying that an agreement with Skopje on a name that would include a qualifier in front of the term “Macedonia” would be a “great victory” for the Greek side.

“The prime minister who has failed miserably in all the negotiations he has carried out for Greece had the nerve today to claim that the government is trying to take back and not give a name to Skopje,” New Democracy said in announcement responding comments made by Tsipras during a visit to the northern port city.

There, the prime minister had said that his leftist-led government is striving to “take something back, not give something away, something that for the past 70 years has been surrendered by others,” to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

“He obviously considers an unacceptable name like ‘Republic of Ilinden Macedonia’ a victory for the country,” the conservative opposition added, referring to a name put forward during talks last week between Tsipras and his counterpart from Skopje, Zoran Zaev, which was rejected by all of the Greece’s main opposition parties.

“The only thing left for Mr Tsipras to get is the answer he deserves at elections,” New Democracy’s announcement added.