Serbian president expresses support for Prespes accord

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday his country will be closer connected to Greece if the deal Athens signed with Skopje to resolve a long-standing dispute on the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is completed.

“For Serbia, the Prespes accord is very important because our two countries will be even more connected. We do not want to interfere in your domestic issues, but we want to show the path Serbia supports,” Vucic told Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who is in Belgrade for the Greek-Serbian High-Level Cooperation Council and the sixth High Council of Cooperation between Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia.

Vucic said that if the name deal is approved by both parties, there could be a trilateral meeting of Greece, Serbia and FYROM.

On his side, Tsipras said the Prespes agreement will improve economic prospects in the Balkans. “We have to give a positive prospect and we should wonder whether the politicy of inertia can offer such a prospect,” he said.

“For us, the Balkans are economically vital and so is Greece for the other Balkan countries. I believe in the vision of inter-Balkan cooperation and look forward to the prospect of unlocking this great potential of our region.”