Greek PM to raise North Macedonia provocations at NATO Summit

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to raise the issue of North Macedonia and the observance of the Prespa Agreement at the NATO Summit in Washington.

The non-use by North Macedonia’s new leadership of the country’s constitutional name, as the Prespa Agreement expressly provides for, but also the general attitude of the country’s PM and president, who have argued more than a few times that the country will be called “Macedonia” internally has provoked the strong reaction of Athens. Mitsotakis has announced in two interviews that he will raise the issue with NATO, warning that the attitude of the neighboring country puts a brake on its European path. Mitsotakis flew to Washington on Monday where he will stay until Friday with a full schedule.

The main part of the trip concerns the anniversary event for the 75th anniversary of NATO. The summit will also validate the designation of Mark Rutte as NATO’s new secretary-general. It is also the first time that the summit will be held with 32 allies, after the completion of the accession of Finland and Sweden.

The three-day summit – July 9-11 – will have a broad agenda, including the strengthening of the Alliance’s defense capabilities, and the increased contribution from European NATO member-states and Canada for the implementation of planned investments. Also on the agenda is the confirmation of support to Ukraine, NATO’s cooperation with partners such as the EU and the Indo-Pacific 4 – Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea – as well as with the Southern Neighborhood states to address common security challenges such as terrorism, illegal immigration and the protection of free navigation.