Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has warned North Macedonia that breaking the Prespa Agreement, which resolved their long-standing name dispute, will put the Balkan country's hopes of joining the EU in jeopardy.

Speaking from the northern Greek town of Veria, Mitsotakis declared that Parliament would not ratify the three memoranda of understanding associated with the 2018 agreement as long as the new Skopje leadership persisted in breaking the agreement. Mitsotakis was campaigning ahead of the June elections for the European Parliament.

“If some believe they can disregard the agreement, they should understand that their path to Europe will remain closed, and the memoranda will not be ratified unless there is compliance with what the agreement stipulates,” he said. 

The recently elected prime minister and president of North Macedonia have refused to use the nation's constitutional name, which includes the attached geographical designation "North," verbally, in violation of the agreement. As a result, diplomatic tensions between Athens and Skopje have increased.