Government expresses optimism for name deal with Skopje

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said he is optimistic that a deal can be reached with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in the decades-old name row, in an interview with newspaper Nea Selida, published on Sunday.

Tzanakopoulos said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias have secured all necessary safeguards to ensure that Skopje will meet all its obligations required to achieve a deal.

Commenting on the reaction from main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he said that by the time he decides on his position on a possible Greece-FYROM  deal, "he will have lost any remaining traces of credibility."