North Macedonia PM denies shift in stance on Prespa Agreement amid opposition accusations
North Macedonia’s conservative prime minister, Hristijan Mickoski, has reacted angrily to allegations from the nationalist opposition, claiming he had shifted his position on the Prespa Agreement.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Mickoski reiterated that he exclusively refers to the country as “Macedonia” and its people as “Macedonians.”
The Greek government has criticized North Macedonia’s leadership for not using the official constitutional name, which includes a geographic qualifier, as mandated by the 2018 accord, which resolved the long-standing name dispute between Athens and Skopje.
“Nowhere in the Prespa Agreement is the use of ‘Macedonian’ or ‘Macedonia’ prohibited,” Mickoski argued, citing Articles 7, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the accord. “We, too, have the right to use the adjective ‘Macedonian,’ just as the Greeks have that same right.”
In an ironic jab, Dimitar Apasiev, leader of the far-left, nationalist Levica (Left) party, had earlier referred to Mickoski as “the North Macedonian prime minister” and accused him of reversing his stance on the Prespa Agreement. Apasiev asserted that Mickoski now “respects” the agreement, a stark contrast to his prior strong opposition.
