Fourteen Pan-Macedonian organisations and federations have appealed to the Council of State, Greece’s supreme administrative court, calling for the annulment of the deal signed between the Greek government and FYROM at Lake Prespes.

The organisations filed an application for cancellation of the deal and a request for the suspension of the Prespes bilateral agreement, signed on 17 June 2018 by the Foreign Ministers of Greece and FYROM.

“With the Cancellation application, we are requesting that the Prespes Agreement be cancelled, as well as the letters sent by the Greek Government to NATO and the EU asking for the lifting of the veto for the accession of the FYROM to these organizations”, the Pan-Hellenic Federation of Cultural Associations Macedonians clarified.

The groups claim the Prespes agreement violates article 27 of the Greek Constitution, which provides that the deal needs a vote in parliament with an increased majority, as it includes a change in land borders terms (the region of Macedonia). They also claim that prior treaties defining Greek borders are changed, causing confusion.
The groups also say the agreement legitimises the territorial claims of FYROM against Greece.

Retired Navy commander sues PM Tsipras and FM Kotzias

Meanwhile, a retired Navy commander files a lawsuit against Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias over the deal. Commander Panayiotis Stamatis filed the suit at the First Instance Court of Athens, accusing Minister Kotzias of premeditated plans to commit an act of treason, of endangering the country’s integrity, infidelity against the service and for breach of duty.

The lawsuit accuses the Prime Minister of being the moral instigator for the crimes by Mr Kotzias, as well as calling other government and state officials as co-conspirators.