Sun. Mitsotakis to Z. Zaev: Further strengthening of our bilateral relations, with emphasis on the economy, especially energy

The meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, on the occasion of his participation in the Delphi Forum, focused on the assessment of bilateral relations and the exploration of cooperation opportunities, especially in the fields of Economy and Energy.

In the context of Greece's firm support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans, Greek support for the European course of the neighbouring country was confirmed, based on the existing rules, respect for good neighbourly relations and, at the same time, the full, consistent and good faith implementation of the Prespa Agreement as part of the accession process.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy and External Relations Costas Fragogiannis, Government Spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni and the Director of the Prime Minister's Diplomatic Office, Ambassador Eleni Surani.

At the beginning of their meeting, Mitsotakis and Zaev said:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Prime Minister, welcome to Athens, on the occasion of your participation in the Delphi Economic Forum. We are delighted that you and your delegation are here. Today's meeting will give us the opportunity to discuss the further strengthening of our bilateral relations, with an emphasis on the economy, especially energy, where many interesting projects are in the preparation stage.

Of course, we will also have the opportunity to talk about developments in the accession process of North Macedonia, which Greece supports, as is well known, always on the basis of the rules and conditions in force, in the context of our firm and active support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

And, of course, respect for good neighbourly relations and the full, consistent and good faith implementation of the Prespa Agreement - as we have discussed - remain vital. These are key indicators in our bilateral relations and also for your country's EU membership perspective. So I look forward, as always, to a very constructive discussion and I welcome you back to Athens.

Zoran Zaev: Dear Prime Minister, members of the Government, it is a great pleasure for me to be in Athens on the occasion of the Delphi Forum.

For us it is a great opportunity to discuss closer economic relations and cooperation. I would like to congratulate you on the 200 years, the two centuries of independence of Greece, two centuries since the establishment of the modern Greek state. It is a great pleasure to be here on the occasion of the 200th anniversary celebrations and it is an excellent opportunity to talk about the progress we have made in the economic field, because we do have a huge opportunity ahead of us. Together with your team we are working thoroughly - I will inform you of our positions - as there are many positive facts that I would like to share with you.

I would also like to discuss the issue of the accession of North Macedonia to the European Union, as you are our main neighbour, our strategic partner, and I would like to inform you about the details of our positions and of course ask for your help, Prime Minister, but also for the help of Mr.Dendias and all those involved in the process. Because I think that in 2003 the Thessaloniki Summit sent an encouraging message to all the Balkan countries and we should continue in this way.

There is no alternative for North Macedonia, and for the rest of the Western Balkan countries, other than a future in the European Union. As you know, we are delighted that we are now allies in NATO. We are glad that the Greek Air Force is patrolling our skies. A month ago we celebrated the one-year anniversary of our accession to NATO. Greek aircraft flew in our skies during the ceremony and this caused a very positive reaction from our citizens.

Today we have to reach an agreement on how to open the borders for tourism in Greece, which is something that our citizens expect. As a member of the EU, you may have some additional information. This is directly related to how we will improve, strengthen our business ties and business relations.

These days, our citizens are waiting for information on how to cross the border to come to Thessaloniki for coffee and food. But there are certainly many details related to the development of partnerships with many businesses. I will mention some of them.

We are in the final stage of contacts with Hellenic Petroleum for the operation of the oil pipeline. This morning we had the last high-level meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Economic Affairs and the company representatives will need to determine the specific facts.

So the idea is that by the end of May we will have a final agreement with them and start the operation of this important pipeline. It will give Hellenic Petroleum the opportunity to also pipe oil to Serbia, Kosovo and the wider region.

As you know, a Memorandum will probably be signed with the Copelouzos Group. Our country will invest for the first time in Greece, in energy projects in Alexandroupolis. This is something very important for us. It is a huge opportunity and a great honor. I know that you also encourage wider participation in this regional project as it has benefits for everyone. We will be allocated 10% of the gas terminal and 25% of the production plant. This 25% represents 1/4 of our total power generation, which is very important for us.

So we are evolving, following your example, the example of the EU countries, and we will also close down coal-fired power plants as soon as possible, because their costs are high. And at this level, I would like to inform you that we are in the final stage of negotiations with the Mytilineos Group for the gas-fired power plant in Skopje, our capital. PPC is one of the main participants in this major project, worth EUR 700 million, a hydroelectric power project that will be a benchmark for the energy mix of the wider region.

Another major company will participate in the tender for the construction of the rail link of the Pan-European Corridor VIII, a European axis connecting Italy, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. This is positive for entrepreneurship in the region, it is the largest project and there is scope for a lot of investment.