Northern Greece would benefit from an agreement with FYROM

Greece is one of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's most important trading partners, and the ratification of the Prespes agreement would both aid in the normalization of relations between the two Balkan neighbors and give Greece the opportunity to advance its status as the gateway to Eastern and Central Europe.

"For Thessaloniki, the solution of the name issue is a necessary condition for the city's port to evolve into a real Euro-port and serve as a junction for the interconnection with the Danube River and a Mediterranean starting point for trade with Central Europe," the head of the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece, Athanasios Savvakis, has said. Some 30 percent of Thessaloniki port's turnover is estimated to concern FYROM trade.

Last year Greece was FYROM's third most important trading partner, behind Germany and Britain, accounting for a share...