Macedonia - Greek Ambassador to Macedonia Alexandra Papadopoulou summoned to Macedonian MFA Headquarters
The Head of the Liaison Office of the Hellenic Republic to the Republic of Macedonia, Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou, was called today for a discussion at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia in Skopje. The reason for her summoning was yesterday’s incident in Thessaloniki, i.e., the improper treatment by the Greek police of the Consul General of the Republic of Macedonia to the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Tomislav Dimitrovski, on the grounds of an allegedly committed traffic offence.
At the meeting at the MFA headquarters, the Head of the Directorate for Bilateral Relations with Southeast European Countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Dejan Kostadinov-Petrov lodged a verbal protest against the incident to the Greek Ambassador Papadopoulou. Furthermore, State Counsellor Kostadinov-Petrov pointed out to the violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, emphasizing the disappointment with the manner in which the Greek police in Thessaloniki have acted, as well as with the fact that Macedonian diplomats accredited to the Hellenic Republic have been inappropriately treated by Greek authorities twice in a relatively short period. Taking into account the timely reaction by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Kostadinov-Petrov expressed, as well, his appreciation to the Greek diplomats for the professionalism and the respect for diplomatic norms they have demonstrated during the incident.
State Counsellor Kostadinov-Petrov demanded that all measures necessary be undertaken by the relevant Greek state authorities in order to identify the persons responsible for this incident and hold them accountable. Moreover, Mr. Kostadinov-Petrov presented the expectation that such or similar incidents will not be repeated in the future, particularly taking into consideration the commitment of both countries to strengthening mutual trust and good-neighbourly relations, as well as the negative effects that the incident might have on public opinion, i.e., the potential lack of personal safety that the nationals of the Republic of Macedonia staying in Greece for tourist, business or other reasons might begin to feel as a result.
Ambassador Papadopoulou gave an explanation as to the reason for which the Head of the Liaison Office of the Republic of Macedonia in Thessaloniki had been stopped by the police, pointing out that Mr. Tomislav Dimitrovski had been stopped in order to register the offence and check his driving license for the purpose of drafting an adequate police report. At the same time, Ambassador Papadopoulou expressed regrets for the incident, giving assurances that the case will be thoroughly examined, as well as that all measures necessary will be undertaken in order to clarify the issue. At the meeting, State Counsellor Kostadinov-Petrov and Ambassador Papadopoulou underlined that both the Republic of Macedonia and the Hellenic Republic remain committed to building good-neighbourly relations, whereas Mme. Papadopoulou reiterated that all citizens of the Republic of Macedonia travelling to the Hellenic Republic will be warmly welcomed to her country.
