Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev at the award of the Ewald von Kleist Award – Picture by Office of the Prime Minister of North Macedonia.
Saturday, 16 February 2019, Munich, Free State of Bavaria: Hellenic Prime Minister Alexis Tsiprasand his North Macedonian counterpart Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, were bestowed the Ewald von Kleist Award at the 55th Munich Security Conference.
Both heads of government were honoured for their successful diplomatic efforts ending an impasse in the long-standing name dispute between their two countries. The two politicians emphasised in their speeches that it was important to overcome stereotypes and move towards each other: “Both Alexis and I are aware that we have placed our political careers at risk by concluding the Prespa Agreement,” said Zoran Zaev at the ceremony held in the Munich Residence, a former royal palace for the Bavarian monarchs.
Greece and North Macedonia have signed an agreement last year to settle the ongoing name altercation, which had been troubling their countries’ relations for over a quarter of a century.
According to the agreement, the former Yugoslav republic is called is henceforth officially called North Macedonia. Following the agreement, Greece declared its support for North Macedonia’s accession to NATO and the EU, which the Hellenic Republic had been blocking for years.
About the Award
The Munich Security Conference has awarded the Ewald von Kleist Award since 2009. It honours outstanding personalities who have made a special contribution to peace and conflict resolution. The award highlights the political life and work of Ewald von Kleist-Schmenzin (1922-2013), who founded the Munich Security Conference in 1963 under the name “International Defense Customer Meeting”. Kleist moderated the conference until 1998.
For further information:
Munich Security Conference: https://www.securityconference.de/en/news/article/alexis-tsipras-and-zoran-zaev-receive-ewald-von-kleist-award/?fbclid=IwAR09R2zmYoiosdn_2Y8z2nkij163pHZ8oGpEwNLOgb5AL-Ui2Xqe3vmIFhc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VFYpWsULeE
Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev: http://www.sdsm.org.mk/Pretsedatel.aspx
Prime Minister of Greece: https://primeminister.gr/en/home
