Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has criticized North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova for referring to her country as “Macedonia” instead of its official title of “North Macedonia.”
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova was sworn in on Sunday as North Macedonia’s first female president. However, the new president’s reference to her country as “Macedonia” was rebuked by both the Greek Prime Minister and the foreign ministry as a violation of the Prespa Agreement.
The Prespa Agreement was reached between the two countries in 2018 in an attempt to resolve the long-standing dispute over the name “Macedonia,” which is also a region of Greece. Despite the agreement, the naming dispute has remained a thorny issue between the two countries.
Η προκλητική επιλογή της νέας Προέδρου της Βόρειας Μακεδονίας να παραβεί το επίσημο κείμενο του όρκου της και να αποκαλέσει τη χώρα της με διαφορετικό όνομα αποτελεί πρωτοβουλία παράνομη και ανεπίτρεπτη. pic.twitter.com/jLC0M289vB
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) May 13, 2024
Greek Prime Minister’s comments on North Macedonian naming issue
Mitsotakis released a statement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Monday morning denouncing the reference of Siljanovska-Davkova to her country as “Macedonia.”
“The provocative decision of the new president of North Macedonia to violate the official text of her oath and refer to her country by a different name constitutes an illegal and unacceptable initiative,” the Greek Prime Minister wrote on X. “It breaches the Prespa Agreement and the constitution of her state. It also undermines its future prospects.”
“It’s well-known that as the opposition, New Democracy voted against the 2019 agreement,” Mitsotakis continued. “In fact, it warned at that time about the problems that its shortcomings would create. However, as a government, we respected the Greek signature on an international treaty that binds the country. Unfortunately, the recent development confirms our consistently cautious position.”
He added: “Greece rejects maneuvers like those with which Mrs Siljanovska has inaugurated her tenure. [Greece] urges her to return to her lawful duties and behaviors befitting her role. We emphatically declare that we will not accept similar mistakes. And we reiterate that any progress in bilateral relations, as well as any step of Skopje towards Europe, depends on the sincere adherence to the agreements, the proper use of the constitutional name of the neighboring country, and, of course, on the avoidance of provocations.”
Comments by the European Commission President
On Sunday, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen also issued a statement on social media in response to the unfolding controversy.
“For North Macedonia to continue its successful path on EU accession it is paramount that the country continues on the path of reforms and full respect for its binding agreements, including the Prespa Agreement,” she said on X.
For North Macedonia to continue its successful path on EU accession it is paramount that the country continues on the path of reforms and full respect for its binding agreements, including the Prespa Agreement.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 12, 2024
Further controversy
The North Macedonian naming controversy did not end with Siljanovska-Davkova’s swearing-in on Sunday and the subsequent Greek diplomatic response.
That same day, Siljanovska-Davkova replied on X to the social media account of the Swedish embassy in Skopje describing herself as the “President of Macedonia.” Whether the new North Macedonian President will continue to refer to her country as Macedonia in external diplomatic communications as well as internally to a domestic audience remains to be seen.
Thank you for your heartfelt congratulations. Sweden 🇸🇪 and the EU 🇪🇺 will have as always a dedicated ally in the President of Macedonia 🇲🇰 for reaching the European 🇪🇺 and gender equality objectives
— Гордана Силјановска Давкова (Gordana Siljanovska) (@gogamkd) May 12, 2024
Meanwhile, North Macedonian Justice Minister Krenar Loga has said the presidential oath of Siljanovska-Davkova was invalid because she did not use the constitutional name of the country.
“Disrespecting the constitutional name of the state makes Siljanovska’s oath null and void,” Loga commented on a Facebook post. He suggested the process either be repeated or that Jovan Mitrevski, currently the President of the Assembly, take over as Acting President.
The Prespa Agreement
The Prespa Agreement, signed on June 12, 2018 between then Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his FYROM counterpart Zoran Zaev under the auspices of the United Nations, was a cause of controversy in both countries.
Polls showed the majority of Greeks opposed the use of the name “Macedonia” in any form by the Balkan country. Polls conducted by various Greek media outlets at the time found that between 65 and 68 percent of respondents were not in favor of the agreement.
Many Greek demonstrators objected strenuously to the treaty by holding the largest protests ever seen in Athens and Thessaloniki prior to the ratification of the agreement in the Greek Parliament in February 2019. Protests against the name change were also held in foreign cities across the globe where diaspora Greeks live.
Attitudes in Greece may have softened in recent years. One poll conducted in Greece in October 2020 by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in collaboration with KAPA Research indicated a growing acceptance of the Prespa Agreement. According to the data, the majority of Greeks (58 percent) now hold a positive view of the agreement. Specifically, 25 percent consider it a good agreement, while 33 percent see it as a necessary compromise despite its shortcomings.
Nevertheless, the naming issue remains a point of tension between the two countries, often making it difficult for Greek and North Macedonian diplomats to advance bilateral relations in a constructive and cooperative manner.
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