In an interview with TV Kontra, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias commented on the telephone conversation between Zaev-Tsipras. While Zaev did not give any more detailed information on the topic, Kotzias triumphantly and somewhat staged celebrated the long awaited phone conversation between Zaev and Tsipras with a public appearance. Namely Kotzias stated that Zaev accepted the name North Macedonia, and the issue of the Constitution was resolved, as he said at the initiative of Skopje.
“Today’s was a decisive step,” Nikos Kodzias said, referring to the telephone communication between Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev. “If negotiations are concluded tomorrow, the name talks will be completed,” he said, speaking about today’s interview with the two prime ministers. “He chose what he wanted, he already did,” referring to Zaev.
Foreign Minister Nikos Kodzias revealed that the name North Macedonia was allegedly selected by Zaev (even though Athens floated the idea at least 10 years ago), and from the proposals of Nimetz, the name Vardar Macedonia was rejected by Macedonia, and Macedonia (Skopje) and Ilinden Macedonia were rejected by the Greek side. On the table were Upper Macedonia, Nova Makedonija and North Macedonia, and Zaev chose the name North Macedonia.
In his interview, Kodzijas spoke about changing the Macedonian Constitution as well as the name of the Church which is a must as there can’t be a Macedonian church.
We have solved the constitutional problem and am excited that the problem has been solved by the initiative of Skopje, I think that the Church will be called the Ohrid Archbishopric, a grand historical name that this centuries old church has been carrying for centuries, “Kotzias stated.
