One valuable asset that had Greek foreign policy after her signature Prespa Agreement as the “thorn” in the name was removed and was no longer on the agenda in all official conversations, it seems to be coming back as the leadership of the neighboring country returns to the rhetoric of the past in a persistent and systematic way.
It is no coincidence that both the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetrite They are obliged in official forums to denounce the violation of the Agreement by the State and political leaders of the neighboring country.
G. Gerapetrite: There is no other name for any use other than the North Macedonian name
A few days after the inauguration of the Mickotski government – where only during the inauguration and not in his speech did he refer to the constitutional name “North Macedonia”– the president Gordana Siliawska came back and spoke again about “Macedonia”.
![B. Macedonia: The "thorn" for Greece flares up again 1 Gordana Siljanovska Davkova](https://thegurumedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Gordana-Siljanovska-Davkova.jpg)
In particular, yesterday Ms. Silianovska met with representatives of “Child refugees from Aegean Macedonia” and discussed with them the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the “persecution of the Aegean Macedonians”.
At the same time, Ms Silianovska made a relevant post on her own X (formerly Twitter) account, talking about “Macedonia”.
Meeting with the delegation of the Association of Macedonians and refugee children from the Aegean region of Macedonia – MACEDON. The fate and tragedy of 30,000 refugee children and their Golgotha must not be hidden and relativized. pic.twitter.com/l4kAzUywT3
—Gordana Siljanovska Давкова (Gordana Siljanovska) (@gogamkd) June 27, 2024
K. Mitsotakis warned that Skopje will miss the European “train”
Mr Mitsotakis was thus forced to raise the issue at the EU Leaders’ Summit yesterday, characteristically saying in his statements – and it should not be considered a coincidence that he called Skopje his neighbor that “I took the initiative and informed my colleague in the European Council about what is happening in North Macedonia, about the fact that both the President and the Prime Minister in office are in fact directly violating the Prespa Agreement, ignoring in practice erga omnes and choosing to use another name, in addition to the constitutionally defined name of the country, for internal use, which is completely contrary to the spirit of the Prespa Agreement.
I have therefore informed my colleagues in the European Council of this unpleasant development and have also made it absolutely clear that if Skopje persists in this line, it will indeed make it extremely difficult – if not completely nullify – any process of immediate convergence with the European family. I therefore believe that everyone must realise the consequences of their actions and know that compliance with the European acquis obviously depends on faithful observance of the international agreements that have been signed, in this case, by both parties.”
SYRIZA’s harsh criticism of the government
But before that, SYRIZA, on the occasion of Silianovska’s statements, severely criticized the government, accusing it of a compromising attitude towards the country’s challenges.
Characteristically mentioning that “We call on the Mitsotakis government to finally wake up from the diplomatic lethargy it has fallen into and immediately internationalize the issue, so that the government of North Macedonia faces up to its responsibilities, which concern both its EU accession process and as well as the imposition of sanctions on those who violate the Prespa Agreement based on 2021 American legislation.
The government must finally understand that it is imperative to act, so that the state and political leadership of North Macedonia finally comply with international and EU law and stop giving in to cheap and false nationalism.
In any case, New Democracy bears heavy responsibility for the damage it has caused to our national interests, in the name of its irresponsible foreign policy, avoiding any active involvement with the Agreement all these years in order to maintain its internal partisan balances”.
“Response” from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in all directions
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the issue at the EU Foreign Ministers’ Summit and, essentially responding to SYRIZA today, said in a statement: “North Macedonia’s leadership continues to violate the Prespa Agreement. Furthermore, it returns to past actions that suggest a redemptive disposition and complete ignorance of history. The Greek Foreign Minister has already drawn the attention of his counterparts in the Foreign Affairs Council to the relevant violations and will continue to do so. raised at international level by the Greek Government. North Macedonia’s leadership is increasingly moving away from the good neighborly relations that constitute the core of the European acquis and international law.