North Macedonian Prime Minister Christian Mickoski spoke of an attempted “provocation” by the Greek side, referring to the recent ruling by the single-member Court of Appeal for Western Macedonia, which effectively invalidates the legality of the stated objectives of the “Macedonian Language Center in Greece” based in Florina.
“This is further proof that only our side cares about good neighbourliness. But this will not discourage us. I am aware that challenges (i.e. in Greece) are necessary for us to react in a reciprocal way and do something that has nothing to do with our interests, namely the achievement of our second major goal, which is full integration into the EU. Once again, our EU partners may see the failure of our neighbours to comply with the agreed terms, although I know that they (including Greece) will justify themselves by saying that this is a court decision and so on,” said Christian Mickoski.
They plan to appeal
The founders of the “Macedonian Language Center in Greece” have announced that they will appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal of Western Macedonia, while the Prime Minister of North Macedonia has promised to “support them”.
“Our people have our support and we will support them in asserting their rights. We, as politicians, can provide logistical support. There is the European Court of Human Rights, etc., so they will have our full support. We will not react as in the past. We know that our neighbours will do everything in their power to drag us into their internal political confrontation and make Macedonia a problem. But we are responsible, mature and will not allow this. We have our own goals, our own interests and we are moving towards their implementation,” said Christian Mickoski.
The “Macedonian Language Center in Greece” has been operating since 2022. The Magistrates’ Court of Florina, with a decision dated July 27, 2022, approved the establishment of the association, however, the First Instance Prosecutor of Florina filed an objection.
The objectives of the association, according to its statutes, were:
1. The preservation and cultivation of the “Macedonian” (sic) language in Greece.
2. Support the introduction of the “Macedonian” language as an optional subject in public schools and universities in Greece.