Greece Rebukes “Ιrredentist Claims” by North Macedonia Leader

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Greece Rebukes “Ιrredentist Claims” by North Macedonia Leader
Greece North Macedonia
The name dispute has been solved, Athens replied to comments by the North Macedonia leader. Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On Thursday, Greece formally replied to recent remarks made by North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, suggesting that Skopje does not view the name dispute with Greece as settled.

Mickoski, Greece’s Foreign Ministry said, is trying to “bring an issue back to the fore that has, as we all know, been settled once and for all.”

It was responding to comments made by Mickoski at a gathering of fellow North Macedonians in New Jersey on Wednesday, during his visit to the United States for the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

“We need to start winning in Washington, Brussels, Berlin, London, Paris, Rome if we want the Macedonian issue to finally arrive at its conclusion. Our issue is not settled. It’s been smoldering for centuries and it still exists,” the prime minister of North Macedonia was quoted by the Republika newspaper as saying.

Greece calls on North Macedonia to respect Prespa agreement

“Greece reminds that further progress in its bilateral relations with North Macedonia and the smooth continuation of the neighboring country’s European path require full respect for the Prespa Agreement and, of course, refraining from irredentist declarations and claims against neighboring countries,” the response from Athens added.

The statement referred to the landmark agreement signed between Athens and Skopje in 2018 settling the decades-old name dispute.

Since assuming office last summer, Mickoski, a nationalist, has often violated the terms of the agreement by referring to his country as “Macedonia” instead of using its constitutional name, North Macedonia.

Last May he referred to his country as “Macedonia” in a social media post, providing further kindling to a diplomatic spat between Athens and Skopje.

The politician recently said he would use the term “Macedonia” when making reference to his country, and challenged Greece to appeal to the International Court of Justice if it believes the Prespa Agreement is being violated.

The president of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, also used the word “Macedonia” during her inauguration, causing a diplomatic argument between Athens and Skopje.

Prespa agreement

The Prespa Agreement is an agreement reached in 2018 between Greece and the then-Republic of Macedonia, under the auspices of the United Nations, resolving a long-standing dispute between the two countries. Apart from resolving the terminological differences, the agreement also covers areas of cooperation between the two countries in order to establish a strategic partnership.

Signed beside the shared Lake Prespa, from which it took its name, and ratified by the parliaments of both countries, the agreement went into force on February 12, 2019, when the two countries notified the UN of the deal’s completion, following the ratification of the NATO accession protocol for North Macedonia on February 8th.

Related: US Ambassador Tsunis Calls on North Macedonia to Comply With Prespa Deal

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