North Macedonia PM Zaev: 'Prespes Agreement's future is positively assured'

North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that "'after the politicians' decisions, so it happens they are followed, in our friendly neighboring country Greece, by the people's decisions," in a late-Friday comment on Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' decision to call a snap general election on July 7, and added that "we will respect their decisions."

"I appreciate and respect my friend Alexis Tsipras," said Zaev, as "we created a personal friendship, on which I based my own call to all citizens (of both Greece and North Macedonia) to build such a friendship too, as I have with Tsipras."

"We will probably remain friends until the end of our lives, regardless of whether either of us is still a premier," Zaev clarified.

Zaev said he knows "that the Prespes Agreement has only benefits to bring, as it was ratified in two parliaments (Greece and North Macedonia) and I know there is no politician who opposes the interests of the citizens who observe the agreement," and highlighted that "the future of this agreement is positive and warranted."

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia concluded by saying that it is "indeed the citizens that decide who to bring into power, who they replace, and overall how to install (to power) the candidates in their countries."