Tsipras, Zaev pledge herald steps to show good will, set red lines

After talks that lasted more than three hours on the sidelines of the World Economic Summit in Davos on Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his counterpart from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia expressed their joint intention to resolve a longstanding dispute regarding the latter’s name and each pledged gestures to signal their good will while also setting out out “red lines.”

Ο Έλληνας πρωθυπουργός, Αλέξης Τσίπρας, με τον ομόλογό του απ' την ΠΓΔΜ, Ζόραν Ζάεφ (φώτο αρχείου) Source: Twitter

Tsipras noted that a solution to the FYROM name dispute should come in the form of “a composite name for all uses” if the Balkan country is to proceed with its bid to join NATO.

“We both have the desire to tackle our existing differences realistically and responsibly,” he added. But he emphasized the need to tackle “irredentism in all its forms,” reflecting Greek concerns that FYROM harbors claims against the northern Greek region of Macedonia.