Athens, 7 April 2008

«It is through unity that we win. This is, in my view, the conclusion drawn. That is, apart from the methodical efforts of the past few years to get to where we are now, national unity also contributed greatly to the final outcome.” This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Yannis Valinakis in an interview on “ΝΕΤ 105.8” radio, commenting on the NATO Summit’s outcome and yesterday’s opinion polls. Mr. Valinakis pointed out: “of course, we have a difficult way ahead because it is our objective to resolve this problem, as it is our government’s general objective to settle any pending issues from the past.

In order for there to be a solution, both sides must agree. For our part, we have stated we are ready. We are willing to come to a new round of talks, and it goes without saying that we are willing to settle this issue, with the determination that we have already shown. I would like to think that, as is usually the case, following a long period of reflection, the competent leaderships are focusing on what lies ahead, i.e. what they are looking for, the problem that must be resolved, which is precisely the name issue. This reasonably means that Skopje, following a period of depressurization and assessment of the new state-of-affairs, will have to return to the negotiating table in order for a mutually acceptable solution to be found,” stressed Mr. Valinakis.

Asked about FYROM’s European perspective, Mr. Valinakis stated that “if the name issue is not resolved, there will not be any upgrading of relations between Skopje and the European Union.