Foreign Ministry spokesman Gregory Delavekouras stated the following in response to questions regarding the correspondence between Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle:
“Within the framework of Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos’s regular contacts with Commissioner Füle, there has been correspondence between them, in light of the desire, stated in the December European Council conclusions, of the EU member states for a definitive settlement of the FYROM name issue.
In his letter of response, Mr. Avramopoulos has informed Mr. Füle that in the coming time full use must be made of the existing channels of communication and cooperation between officials of the Greek Foreign Ministry and the Commission, so that the latter can be kept fully abreast of the course of the negotiations under the UN, given that the resolution of the name issue is now a prerequisite for the opening of FYROM’s accession negotiations with the EU.
Regarding the potential for a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries with Commissioner Füle, to promote, as Mr. Füle said in his letter, the Greek initiative for the signing by Greece and FYROM of a memorandum of understanding, Greece is not opposed to meetings in principle, under the condition that there be good preparation and, mainly, that a substantial result be ensured. It should be noted that the substance of the negotiation process under Mr. Nimetz, which was reactivated thanks to the Greek initiative, is not connected in any way with the European Union and its organs, but has been formulated based on the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The Greek side looks forward to the upcoming meeting of the representatives of the two sides with Mr. Nimetz in New York, on 29-30 January, to ascertain the extent to which there are prospects for progress, and, consequently, at this stage there is no issue of a meeting of the Ministers of the two countries with Mr. Füle.”
January 16, 2013