The latest and most prominent violation of the Prespa Agreement by the new leadership in the Republic of North Macedonia came outside the small Balkan country on Wednesday, and, in fact, was flagrantly made on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Washington D.C.
New Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski again referred to “Macedonia”, stand-alone, and the “Macedonian government” when entering the summit hall, ignoring warnings by Greek and Alliance leadership to faithfully adhere to the landmark 2018 agreement between Athens and Skopje.
The most important provision in the agreement mandates a change in the one-time Yugoslav republic’s constitutional name, i.e. today’s internationally recognized Republic of North Macedonia. It was this specific bilateral agreement that cleared the path for the country’s admission to NATO, as the standing threat of a Greek veto was withdrawn.
As such, Mickoski arrived in the US capital to attend the NATO summit as a head of government in large part due to the Prespa Agreement, before duly undermining its most significant provision.
“For us as a small nation, it is important to make the most significant decisions at this gathering that will shape the future of humanity in the coming decades, to which we will also make our contribution,” Mickoski first opined ahead of the working session on day two of the NATO summit, before adding: “Macedonia intends to continue promoting these values. As a Macedonian government, we aim to stand alongside our allies and reaffirm the libertarian spirit of the Macedonian people and citizens.”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had personally warned the new leadership of the neophyte NATO member to avoid making a provocation at the closely watched Alliance summit.
In statements last month, when he was the PM-designate, Mickoski had maintained that he retained the “personal right” to refer to the country as he wished when addressing its citizens at home.
