Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message to North Macedonia from the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises’ conference in Thessaloniki on Monday. 

According to Mitsotakis, the "road towards Europe and progress" for North Macedonia could be shortened as it passes through Greece. He also called the stance of the newly elected North Macedonian president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, “illegal and provocative.” 

Furthermore, the Greek PM stated that Greece should use the “authenticity and quality” of its Macedonian products and services to launch a commercial counteroffensive to accompany its diplomatic response. 

Recently, the newly elected North Macedonian president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, caused a diplomatic row between the two countries after referring to her country simply as “Macedonia” during her inauguration, in violation of the Prespa agreement signed in 2018 between Athens and Skopje.