ATHENS – Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said North Macedonia and Albania could see their hopes of joining the European Union blocked for not abiding by treaties and the rule of law.

Becoming a member of the 27 state block requires consensus and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis earlier said Greece would veto Albania’s EU path for the jailing of ethnic Greek Mayor Fredi Beleri and would not ratify the final terms of an agreement letting North Macedonia take the name of a Greek province.

Gerapetritis spoke after major rival SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis said Mitsotakis was being soft on North Macedonia’s leaders continuing to call their country Macedonia in violation of the deal and on Albania over Beleri.

But Mitsotakis was tough on Albania’s jailing of Beleri on what the mayor – denied taking office – said was orchestrated by Prime Minister Edi Rama to benefit business associates and put Beleri on New Democracy’s ticket for the European Parliament, where he won a seat he can’t take.

Speaking at the 28th Annual Economist Government Roundtable, Gerapetritis said the EU hopes of Balkan countries depend on three conditions: the EU acquis body of law, international law and treaties, and democracy and the rule of law.

“There can be no discounts on these issues,” he said while also simultaneously stating that Greece supports the hopes of countries in the Western Balkans to get into the EU although Albania is dealing with criticism of corruption.

Rama, said to believe that the United States’ push to get more Balkan countries into the EU as a bulwark against Russian influence will force Mitsotakis to give in, has steadfastly refused to intervene in the Beleri case, the mayor jailed for two years.

Mitsotakis welcomed Bulgarian President Rumen Radev at the Maximos Mansion, the two countries dealing with the rising nationalism of North Macedonia’s new government whose leaders said would abide by the name deal with Greece, but only in international use and would call it Macedonia domestically.