Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday referred to the need for "right decisions" to be taken in regards to debt relief, speaking during a Party of European Socialists (PES) meeting in Sofia, and ahead of an EU-Western Balkans summit in the Bulgarian capital.
"We are in the last stretch before an exit from the memorandums," Tsipras was quoted as saying by government sources, who added that the Greek premier stated: "Everyone should take the right decisions, including those regarding Greek debt relief."
He also touched on ongoing negotiations to solve the "name issue" still preventing a full normalization of ties between Athens and Skopje, taking to his personal Twitter account, where he posted the following: "... socialist leaders praised our efforts so far to find a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue. They emphasized that only progressive leaders could achieve this ... I thanked them; I also admitted that we have taken many steps forward, but that there was still a distance to cover ... the last stretch is always the most difficult."
On his part, PES president and former Bulgarian prime minister Sergei Stanishev, who chaired the meeting, noted:
"I am glad that prime ministers of Greece and FYRMacedonia (Zoran Zaev) are here together today and we commend all the efforts of the two governments to move forward in solving all disputes ... The PES firmly believes that the future of the western Balkans lies with the European Union, and that enlargement is part of the debate on the future of Europe."
