Dendias assures Skopje of support
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Wednesday reassured his North Macedonia counterpart Nikola Dimitrov of Greece’s support for the Balkan country’s aspirations to join the European Union in the wake of a French veto of its accession bid last month.
Dendias met Dimitrov on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels and is to meet him again in Skopje next Tuesday, when he is also expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
The flurry of diplomacy between Athens and Skopje has widespread support, Kathimerini understands, with Washington and Berlin among those backing a new accession attempt expected to be made by North Macedonia in March.
The developments come amid new proposals by France for a more thorough process for admitting members to the bloc. Just a few weeks after blocking both North Macedonia’s and Albania’s accession bids, France has called for a more complex and structured accession process for would-be candidates.
Meanwhile, Greece is keen to develop closer economic ties with Skopje. Dendias’ deputy Kostas Fragogiannis, whose focus is economic diplomacy, is to accompany the minister on his visit next week.
