Concern over rise of nationalists in Skopje

The confirmation of the rising trend of the nationalist forces represented by VMRO-DPMNE, through the election of the new president of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, and the anticipated government under the same party, has not taken Athens by surprise which has opted for a wait-and-see attitude.

Both Siljanovska-Davkova and Hristijan Mickoski, the VMRO chairman and, barring any unforeseen event, the new prime minister, have repeatedly threatened not to implement the Prespa Agreement signed with Greece over the neighboring country’s name and not to use the geographical designation of North affixed to Macedonia.

The 2018 Prespa Agreement put an end to nearly 30 years of tension between the two countries over the name “Macedonia,” which Greeks considered an outright (mis-) appropriation, not only of the geographical entity but of the heritage of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia.

A renewed crisis with North Macedonia would come at a moment when Greece’s relations with some of its Balkan neighbors are tricky: the imprisonment of ethnic Greek mayor-elect Fredi Beleri in Albania, an expiring water diversion agreement with Bulgaria and the issue of Kosovo independence with Serbia are all obstacles to smooth relations.