Athens on Thursday issued an official response to recent statements by the prime minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, who indicated that Skopje does not consider the name dispute with Greece as resolved.
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 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.