Athens, 28 August 2021 (MIA) – The European Union must support the Prespa Agreement actively and do whatever it takes to hold intergovernmental conferences with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as to make progress in the Belgrade-Pristina talks, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras aid in Münster on Saturday as he received the 2020 International Peace of Westphalia Prize. The former Greek Prime Minister noted that the Prespa Agreement is a model on how to resolve differences peacefully, protect national interests and build trust and cooperation even in the most difficult times, adding that the most important prize is the fact that now “our people can cooperate and invest in the future, in peace, stability and cooperation in the region.” He said that historically, the Balkans have been a very difficult region to promote peace in and therefore the goal of the Prespa Agreement “was to develop deep roots in the consciousness of our people and the relations between our two countries.” “We wanted an agreement under the United Nations that would last and not fall apart at the first difficulty. An agreement that would not only resolve the differences between us but bind us in a new strategic partnership, in order to confront challenges and seize opportunities together,” Tsipras said. This, he pointed out, was not easy particularly at a time when both countries were in an economic crisis, at the front line of the worst refugee crisis, at a time when the European Union had frozen the enlargement process, the United States were moving away from multilateral diplomacy and nationalist forces were strong in our countries as well as the rest of Europe. “The people of Greece and North Macedonia proved that common problems can be solved peacefully and on the basis of international law even at the most difficult moments. They can be solved if we keep an open mind, have the necessary political will and speak on the basis of mutual respect. We proved that Europe can be a catalyst for peace and stability instead of waiting for others to take the lead, kicking the can down the road or making statements that mean nothing to people’s lives. Today this message is even more important than it was in 2018 or 2019,” stressed Greece’s former PM. The leader of Syriza added that the pandemic and developments in Afghanistan should be giving us a lesson that we cannot go back to the economic and geostrategic models of the last 40 years. “When it comes to regional differences the clearest test is in Europe is: the Western Balkans, the Cyprus issue and the eastern Mediterranean. The European Union must support the Prespa Agreement actively. It must do whatever it takes to hold intergovernmental conferences with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as to make progress in the Belgrade-Pristina talks. Also, the European Union must give a clear message to Turkey that the only possible solution for the Cyprus issue is the reunification of the island on the basis of the United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Tsipras said.