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Pavlopoulos: Prerequisite for the resolution of Skopje name issue is the constitution revision

Pavlopoulos: Prerequisite for the resolution of Skopje name issue is the constitution revision

The prerequisite for the acceptance of an agreement on the Skopje name and its accession to NATO and the EU is the previous change of its constitution, the President of the Republic, Prokopios Pavlopoulos, stressed on Sunday during his proclamation as a citizen of the municipality Pydna-Kolindros, at Pieria.

The President also sent a message to Turkey that relations of friendship, good neighborliness and European perspective are going through the respect of international law and the acquis communautaire.

Finally, he mentioned that the contribution and role of the church in the national struggles, explaining the reasons why the constitutions of Greece refer to state and church relations.

As regards Skopje, Pavlopoulos noted that it is clear to everyone that FYROM's accession to the EU and NATO cannot be accepted as well as an agreement without the previous revision of its constitution and without a name "that will eliminate any trace of irredentism", while at the same time highlighting the responsibilities of FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

"The solution of the name issue is a basic prerequisite - and this is not just a Greek position, it is NATO's position, it is the EU's position - it has to change its constitution," Pavlopoulos underlined.